Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, meets with Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Kenkel to discuss maintenance needs/NPS

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, who has worked to craft legislation that would address the National Park Service's maintenance backlog of nearly $12 billion, went to Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio to see some of the maintenance problems in person.

On Saturday, the senator toured the national park with Superintendent Craig Kenkel and Deb Yandala, the CEO of Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Recently, Sen. Portman introduced the Restore Our Parks Act, bipartisan legislation that would help address the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog. The measure would establish the “National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund” to reduce the maintenance backlog by allocating existing unobligated revenues the government receives from on and offshore energy development. 

The measure, which could make up to $1.3 billion a year available to address the backlogged maintenance, would help tackle the more than $100 million in maintenance needs at Ohio’s eight national park sites.  Specifically, Cuyahoga Valley National Park has more than $45 million in unmet maintenance needs such as building renovations, road, and infrastructure improvements.

“Today I visited one of Ohio’s most important treasures, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and was able to see firsthand the unmet maintenance needs that need urgent attention. This includes rehabilitating and refurbishing existing structures like the Station Road Bridge that I saw, as well as, stabilizing railroads and trails that we walked today,” said Sen. Portman. “Whether biking, fishing, kayaking, or hiking with my family, I’m proud to be one of the 2.7 million visitors to Ohio’s national parks annually. ... These parks are national treasures and we must do our part to ensure that these parks can be enjoyed for many generations to come.”

Portman has long been a leader in the U.S. Senate in efforts to protect our national parks. He is the author of the National Park Service Centennial Act, legislation signed into law in 2016 that authorizes the National Park Centennial Challenge Fund and the Second Century Endowment Fund, two public-private partnerships that will help preserve our national parks for generations to come.  Last year, the Republican received the National Park Foundation’s Centennial Champion Award for his work on the National Park Service Centennial Act. He has previously received the 2012 NPCA Centennial Award, the 2015 Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Centennial Leader Award.