Senators tell Park Service, Bush admin to back off on extreme park plan

As reported on the New York Times editorial page, the Department of Interior has rewritten the policies that govern protection of America's national parks, diminishing park protection and boosting commercialism as priorities for the National Park Service.

Contrary to statements by the Department of Interior last week, the proposed policies redefine the overarching duty of the Park Service, weakening references to longstanding, legal mandates that clearly emphasize preserving the country's heritage. Additional changes steer the national parks toward greater commercialization and exploitation. The proposed policies ease the way for increased air and noise pollution and increased high-impact uses previously barred from most national parks, such as Jet Skiing, snowmobiling, and livestock grazing. Additionally, the draft policies dismantle protections for existing and potential wilderness.

Eroding the existing Management Policies further, the proposed polices also include an explicit statement barring the public from holding the Park Service accountable for actions taken under the revised policies.

Washington, DC — The National Park Service has started using a political loyalty test for picking all its top civil service positions, according to an agency directive released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Under the new order, all mid-level managers and above must also be approved by a Bush administration political appointee.

The October 11, 2005 order issued by NPS Director Fran Mainella requires that the selection criteria for all civil service management slots (Government Service grades or GS-13, 14 and 15) include the “ability to lead employees in achieving the …Secretary’s 4Cs and the President’s Management Agenda.” In addition, candidates must be screened by Park Service headquarters and “the Assistant Secretary for Fish, and Wildlife, and Parks,” the number three political appointee in the agency.

The order represents a complete centralization of Park Service promotion and hiring in what has traditionally been a decentralized agency. More strikingly, the order is an unprecedented political intrusion into what are supposed to be non-partisan, merit system personnel decisions.

The President’s Management Agenda includes controversial policies and proposals such as aggressive use of outsourcing to replace civil servants, reliance on “faith-based initiatives” and rollbacks of civil service rights. Interior Secretary Gale Norton’s “4Cs” is a slogan she uses to express her management approach: “4 Cs: communication, consultation, cooperation, all in the service of conservation.”