NPS Mission - National Park Service

National Park Service FY 2013 Budget Justifications
Asset Life Cycle
Plan/Design
Acquire/Construct
2 to 4 years
20% to 30% of costs
Operate/Maintain
Managing a typical asset over a 50-year lifetime requires substantial resources.
Facility Maintenance Programs Administered from Central Offices
A number of programs, managed at the servicewide or regional office level, fall under this component,
and are listed below. These programs are managed centrally in order to establish policy, provide
oversight, and coordination.
1. Environmental Management Program (EMP) – The mission of the EMP is to improve National Park
Service (NPS) environmental performance by ensuring the day-to-day activities of all programs within the
NPS reach beyond compliance with environmental regulations and facilitating the effective execution and
implementation of best environmental practices throughout the park system. To achieve this purpose, the
EMP provides a wide range of environmental support functions, including: environmental management
systems; environmental compliance auditing; contaminated site management; emergency preparedness;
and environmental liability estimates. The EMP also concentrates on preserving park resources through a
leadership role in sustainable design and park operations, and implementing best practices for
sustainability and climate change mitigation at all parks and offices. It is also responsible for developing
guidance and tools for sustainable buildings, climate change mitigation, waste management, green
procurement, and energy management.
In FY 2011, the EMP conducted 45 environmental compliance audits at parks across the NPS.
Additionally, 152 employees received the 24-hour First Responder Hazardous Waste Operations and
Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training and 195 employees participated in eight-hour refresher
training sessions. Overall, the NPS capacity to prevent and respond to chemical spills is comprehensive
and consistent with past years. For large, complex, and more costly contaminated site cleanups, in FY
2011, the NPS received approximately $6.5 million of the roughly $10 million available in DOI Central
Hazmat Funds for response activities at 14 NPS Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) sites.
To support sustainable operations, the EMP began to process data from energy and water audits at 100
parks in FY 2011. An extensive list of park energy and water retrofit needs has been processed into work
orders. Greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and mitigation plans were established for 20 new park units.
Over 200 NPS staff were trained in environmentally preferable or “Green” purchasing practices and over
200 NPS staff participated in training designed to increase understanding of GHG inventories.
Additionally, a sustainable buildings assessment process was established that included the development
of a sustainability checklist.
2. Dam Safety Program – Public Law 104-303 and the National Dam Safety and Security Program Act
of 2002 mandate the inventory, inspection, corrective action, emergency preparedness and security of
dams located within the national park system. The validity of the performance of this program is based
upon available information compiled in a computerized inventory of dams affecting the national park
system. Projects are prioritized by asset condition, hazard potential, and estimated failure modality risk. In
ONPS-85
Recapitalize
50 years
70% to 80% of costs
Dispose