Interior Secretary Nominee Acknowledges Funding Imbalance For Great Smokies

The nominee for Secretary of Interior says he would commit to more equal funding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Ryan Zinke answered questions from senators at a confirmation hearing Tuesday. While the Smokies attract twice as many visitors as Yellowstone, the Tennessee park gets only half of the federal money. It’s also prevented from charging an entrance fee due to the way it was acquired by the federal government.

Zinke acknowledged this disparity during his hearing and said he hopes to work toward solving it.

“The Smokies is different than other parks, it should be recognized,” he said. “Working forward with this committee on the infrastructure bill, we’re hoping we can take a big bite out of the deferred maintenance on infrastructure. There’s a number of roads and facilities in there.”

Zinke was also questioned about the deadly wildfires that started in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and burned through Gatlinburg. He said he would work with Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander to learn from the tragedy and implement prevention strategies.

Senator Alexander also openly expressed his support for the nominee during the hearing.