News Release

Inflation Reduction Act Driving Historic Climate Action at National Parks

Staff members from New River Gorge National Park & Preserve and the Southeastern Grasslands Institute evaluate grassland restoration projects at the park in West Virginia.

NPS/Casey Reese

News Release Date: August 16, 2024

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WASHINGTON - Since the Inflation Reduction Act became law two years ago, the National Park Service has invested $210 million into the health of parks, building climate resiliency and benefiting local economies.

In this time, projects have broken ground and kicked off, providing benefits for people, wildlife, and local economies for generations to come. Inflation Reduction Act projects will continue to happen over the next seven years, but the investment will benefit parks and people long into the future.

“The Inflation Reduction Act is an unprecedented investment in the future of our nation’s public lands,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said. "This funding is combatting climate change and restoring healthy lands and waters at parks across the country.”

To date, on-the-ground efforts in national parks are protecting wildlife and plants, tackling landscape level conservation challenges, creating career opportunities for America’s youth, preserving cultural heritage, and ensuring healthy environments for recreation and reflection.

In just 24 months since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, the National Park Service has:   

• Conserved sagebrush landscapes in the West, enhancing resilience to wildfire
• Fought avian malaria to prevent extinction of Hawai’i forest birds  
• Protected coral from disease and climate change
• Enhanced capacity and provided career experience in ecosystem restoration and climate resilience to youth  
• Restored essential grasslands in the East for key species, such as pollinators and birds
• Bolstered national parks against the impacts of climate change by providing tools and resources to understand and adapt to a changing climate  

On the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the National Park Service recognizes these key investments and the vital workforce that enable repairs to critical facilities and infrastructure. Our work to enhance conservation through ecosystem restoration continues, with the full list of projects available on the National Park Service’s website.

These investments advance the Department of the Interior’s Restoration and Resilience Framework, which is guiding an over $2 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act across bureaus and offices, and supports the President’s America the Beautiful Initiative and advances the objectives of the National Climate Resilience Framework.
 

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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.


A previous version of this press release referenced the National Park Service's fight against avian influenza in the second bullet. It has been corrected to reflect the project's intended purpose to fight avian malaria.