Iconic trips to the country's national parks are a part of most photo albums tucked on bookshelves across the United States, but those parks are in jeopardy, according to the National Parks Conservation Association
The organization is fighting environmental rollbacks by Congress and the Trump administration that prioritize oil and gas development over the health and safety of national parks and the people who love them. Nick Lund with the NPCA said it's time for all Americans to speak up. "They should get involved because this is America, I mean, this is our national parks. These are the most special, the most iconic places that we have, and once they're gone, they're gone," Lund said. "Once they're injured, they're gone. Once their air quality is bad and you can't breathe when you're in there, it's not the same national park."
Specifically, Lund is concerned about the industrialization of landscapes next to national parks such as Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. Today, August 17, is the deadline to comment on offshore drilling leases. Citizens can learn more at NPCA.org/SpOILedParks. Lund pointed out that the regulations currently in place safeguard public lands while allowing for development where it can happen with minimal risk to the environment. "We are really here to protect the best of America, and we've developed ways to protect those parks and also allow oil and gas where it is appropriate and a balance has been struck," he said. "
But these actions by the Trump administration are trying to upset that balance and risk real harm to national parks." In more than 40 national parks, the federal government owns the surface lands and private companies own the mineral rights - places such as Everglades in Florida and Grand Teton in Wyoming. Opponents of additional drilling say that exploration has resulted in excess pollution and harming of native wildlife.
