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Trump Administration Plans to Cut National Park Service Climate and Diversity Grants

Internal documents reveal plans to eliminate multiple National Park Service grants, including key programs focused on climate change research and cultural preservation.

Jordan Miller
Published • 3 MIN READ
Trump Administration Plans to Cut National Park Service Climate and Diversity Grants
View from Exit Glacier overlook in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. A climate change study on Alaska's glaciers is among the programs targeted for elimination.

The Trump administration has identified numerous National Park Service grants for potential cancellation, including several initiatives aimed at safeguarding public lands from climate change impacts, according to an internal agency document outlining the proposals.

The document, titled "Grants Potential Cancellation List," suggests that terminating these grants could result in savings of approximately $26 million by cutting funding to universities, state historic preservation offices, tribal groups, and youth organizations.

This list was compiled by a staff member in the Department of Government Efficiency, which is overseen by Elon Musk, according to individuals familiar with the plan. Similar grant reduction proposals are reportedly being prepared in other divisions of the Department of the Interior.

Among the proposed cuts at the National Park Service is the elimination of the Scientists in Parks program, which provides opportunities for students and early-career scientists to work at natural and historic sites to support ecosystem conservation.

Additional targeted projects include a $67,000 climate resilience study around the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; a $223,000 investigation into how climate change is affecting Alaska's glaciers; nationwide watershed protection programs; and a $220,000 initiative to preserve the ancient dome-shaped 'campus mounds' on Louisiana State University's grounds, structures built by Native American communities thousands of years ago.

The justification provided in the document for discontinuing these programs is related to "Climate change/Sustainability," signaling that projects addressing these topics have been singled out due to the administration's stance on the issue.

Jordan Miller
Jordan Miller

Jordan reports on environmental science issues and the latest developments in sustainable technologies and conservation efforts.

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