Bush Announces National Parks Plan

As President Bush reports advances on his campaign promise to spend nearly $5 billion on upgrading national parks, critics point out exaggerations and his poor environmental record.

1 minute read

August 17, 2003, 9:00 AM PDT

By Connie Chung

President Bush offered "a progress report on his campaign promise to spend nearly $5 billion on upgrading national parks." The announcement was made at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Southern California, where he "promoted his administration's five-year campaign to spruce up the nation's national park system....But critics said the presidential appearance only underscored what they called Bush's abysmal record on the environment, as well as the 'misleading' nature of his effort to address a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog in the parks....During his presidential campaign, Bush promised to eliminate within five years the National Park Service's $4.9 billion maintenance and repair backlog." According to the National Parks Conservation Association,"the administration had devoted just $370 million in new funds toward the backlog over the past three years."

Thanks to Connie Chung

FULL STORY: Bush Reports Advances in National Parks

Friday, August 15, 2003 in The Chicago Tribune

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