BEN McADAMS 192 Cannon Hove Once Bans Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, BE 20515-4402 January 5, 2019 ‘The Honorable David Bernhardt Acting Secretary of the Interior US Department of the Interior 1849 C Street Northwest Washington DC 20240 Dear Acting Secretary Bernhardt: | appreciate all efforts by the Department of interior (DO!) and the National Parks directors and employees to ‘maintain access for visitors and local communities to our parks during the partial government shutdown. One of iy first votes was to restore funding to your agency and others and end the shutdown through legislation previously approved unanimously by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Utah’s national parks are among the most visited in the country and are important assets to local economies. The State of Utah and local nonprofit groups are doing their best to support the maintenance efforts so that visitors are not turned away during the shutdown. However, those means are limited. | join with others in the Utah Congressional delegation to urge your consideration of an alternative approach. ‘The Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §§1341 et seq.) prohibits agencies from general operations in the absence of appropriations. The Act does make a critical exception for “emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property.” | believe in the case of the national parks in Utah that public safety and property are at heightened risk and therefore merit this exception. 'd draw your attention in particular to Arches National Park which has been unable to plow the park road during a recent snowstorm. Park rangers and search and rescue personnel respond to hundreds of emergency incidents in Utah parks. While some national parks may see fewer visitors in the winter, that is not the case in southern Utah, which often experiences mild winters. The state of Utah has worked to reallocate money from other projects to help underwrite costs, but the resources are limited. Utah stepped forward to support operations during a previous government shutdown and has not yet been fully reimbursed for that expenditure. | respectfully request your urgent consideration to invoke this exception to the Antideficiency Act and take immediate emergency measures to resume operations to the fullest extent allowable under the law. Sincerely, / f n McAdams ‘Member of Congress