Watch video of Sen. Cantwell’s opening statement here.  

Watch video of Sen Cantwell’s questions here.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) called for a greater investment in our National Parks and highlighted the need for a strategic approach to deferred park maintenance.

"We have been talking about this issue for a long time because we want to enhance the public’s experience, we want to rehabilitate these buildings, and we want to make sure that there are park rangers there to keep the public safe," said Senator Cantwell. “We know that shortfalls really do erode the user experience, hurt the gateway communities, and threaten visitors as they travel through our parks.”

“With over 330 million visitors annually, the National Park System is key to that huge outdoor economy, and according to the Park Service, visitors are responsible for $35 billion in economic output and they spend over $18 billion each year in national gateway communities. And the number of visitors is only growing,” said Senator Cantwell.

“Besides increasing access…I think we really need to focus on the quality of the experience,” said Senator Cantwell.

The broadcast quality video of Senator Cantwell’s opening statement can be found here.

The broadcast quality video of Senator Cantwell’s questions can be found here.

Witness testimony will be available online immediately before the start of each hearing at on committee website.

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