Statement on Zinke’s Extreme Price Hike at our National Parks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today announced extreme increases to entry fee prices at 17 of the most popular National Parks, according to the Associated Press. Visitors could face fees up to three times the current rate, and families visiting the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion and other national parks would be charged as much as $70 just to enter the parks.
In response to the announcement, Ben Schreiber, Senior Political Strategist at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement:
Secretary Zinke’s extreme price hike will make America’s National Parks unaffordable for millions of American families. The Trump Administration is turning our National Parks into an exclusive playground for the rich.
Yet again, the Trump Administration is prioritizing polluter profits over the American people. Secretary Zinke has given our public lands to oil companies, slashed budgets, and attacked the regulations that ensure taxpayers receive a fair price for their natural resources.
While Republican leadership looks to slash taxes for billionaires, price hikes at our National Parks will hurt working Americans. This is just the first of the inevitable new fees that will be pushed onto working Americans. We should help give breaks to families who want to go on vacation, not companies who want to drill.
Expert contact: Ben Schreiber, (202) 222-0752, [email protected]
Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]