Description:
S. 3172 would require that proceeds from certain leases involving energy resources on public lands be deposited into a new fund in the Treasury. Under the bill, the National Park Service (NPS) could spend amounts in the fund without further appropriation, including interest credited to unspent balances, on deferred maintenance and infrastructure projects. The NPS also could accept and spend any cash or in-kind donations received from the public for such projects. CBO estimates that enacting S. 3172 would increase net direct spending by $6.4 billion over the 2019-2028 period. The bill also would require the Government Accountability Office to report on the NPS’s use of the fund. CBO estimates implementing that provision would cost less than $500,000; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Because enacting the bill would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. The bill would not affect revenues. CBO also estimates that enacting S. 3172 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. S. 3172 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
