WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee confirmed U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) as the Ranking Member of the National Parks Subcommittee.  

“For more than a century, National Parks have been passed from generation to generation, as each new age group takes on the hallowed responsibility to protect parks for those who come next,” said Senator King. “From the sheer size of the Grand Canyon and the dramatic waterfalls of Yosemite to the wildlife of Yellowstone and the majesty of Acadia in my own backyard, these treasured public lands are the continuation of a promise made generations ago – a promise that continues with us. I’m honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to play a leading role in the Senate’s efforts to encourage new techniques and technologies to preserve these sites for the future.” 

Senator King is an avid supporter of the National Parks system, and during his tenure in the Senate has pushed for modernizations that make the parks more accessible to the future generation, including the implementation of a pilot program that entrance passes for parks available online and was lauded in a Subcommittee hearing last year. The program has been particularly successful in Acadia National Park (ANP): Acadia accounts for 72% of total sales in the pilot program, and online purchases accounted for 10% of the park’s total entrance fee receipts in 2016.

National Parks are also a key driver of Maine’s economy, as the state counts tourism among its largest industries. Senator King has been particularly active on issues related to Maine’s economy in the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction. Notably, last May he urged Secretary Zinke to let the Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument stand, citing concerns that the Department of the Interior’s review was having “economically chilling effect” on the local economy. Senator King also recently wrote a letter with Senator Collins to the Department of the Interior in response to a proposal to nearly triple the cost of entrance at ANP, noting that this change could decrease visitors to the park and urging the Department to seek other options for addressing the maintenance backlog that currently sits at almost $12 billion. Additionally, last year Senators King and Collins introduced legislation to ensure that traditional uses of the intertidal zones near ANP are protected, including the harvesting of clams and worms, an activity that has fueled the local economy for generations. The bill also clarifies concerns on park boundary survey errors and makes permanent the Acadia National Park Advisory Committee.

Senator King’s designation means that he is now the highest ranking member of the Democratic Caucus on the National Parks Subcommittee. In a corresponding move, the Senator was removed from Water and Power Subcommittee, both as Ranking Member and as Member.