Trump administration proposes major cuts to EPA and park service

In the latest round of budget proposals, the Trump administration is calling for reducing the National Park Service's operations budget by 25% and halving the Environmental Protection Agency's budget.

A wide variety of media outlets have been covering the proposals — Inside Climate News, Forbes, Science.org, among them — with many national organizations, including the National Parks Conservation Association and the Environmental Protection Network, offering their own analyses and calls to action.

Journalists and policy experts are still deciphering the full impact, but there is consensus that the cuts will negatively impact:

• clean drinking water programs,
• clean up of toxic Superfund sites,
• renewable energy projects that create jobs,
• scientific research and technical support, and
• the protection, maintenance and operation of more than 430 national parks.

As additional analyses are released, especially any focused on our local national park — the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area — and the health of the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities metro, we will be sure to share them in future Mississippi Messages and offer related opportunities for FMR River Guardians to take action.

Previous efforts to galvanize public opinion have led to some positive (or at least less negative) results. Pressure from advocates and Congresspeople (see our previous action alert) appears to have helped our local national park unit keep its offices or leases. And the New York Times reported that Congress has begun to reject changes to several climate programs that have bipartisan support.

A new Gallup poll reveals that more Americans are concerned about the state of our environment than ever.

Polls also consistently show that Americans are united in their support for national parks. More than two-thirds of Americans reject the drastic cuts to park budgets this administration has pursued.