Zinke plan to end Glacier vehicle reservation system passes House

A funding bill containing Congressman Ryan Zinke’s proposal to kill the Glacier National Park pilot vehicle reservation system passed the House last week, but may not get much further.

H.R. 4821, an appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior and Environmental Protection Agency, includes a measure backed by Zinke to starve the vehicle reservation system of funding. It’s a move that Zinke, who has been an outspoken critic of the reservation system since returning to Congress, proposed in the summer months. 

While the appropriations bill passed the House 213 to 203 on Nov. 3, sending it over to the Senate, the White House already has said that President Joe Biden will veto the legislation if it comes before his desk, citing concerns with proposed funding cuts to federal agencies, particularly the EPA.

Zinke has argued that Glacier’s vehicle reservation system limits park access to area residents. His provision in the appropriations bill blocks the park “from using funds to implement a vehicle rationing system and prioritizes the adoption of a functional shuttle system for visitors,” according to a release from his office, though the bill does not include any language about the latter initiative. 

But the park doesn’t specifically budget for operation of the vehicle reservation system, according to spokesperson Brandy Burke. The park also has a functional shuttle system and expanding its capacity has been previously discussed by officials.

Burke told the Daily Inter Lake in July that the reservation system has addressed many aspects of overcrowding in the park, leading to a better visitor experience. She said locals enjoy year-round access to the park. The park’s data shows that 27 percent of all advance vehicle reservations were obtained by Flathead County residents.

Officials have not made any long-term decisions regarding park access, Burke said. In September, park officials opened another public comment period for people to share thoughts and ideas about the vehicle reservation system. The findings are expected to be released this fall, according to Burke. 

A former Interior secretary and a member of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, Zinke listed the proposed funding restriction alongside other victories for Montanans in the bill. In a statement, he said he promised constituents he would “get rid of bad policy and fund investments in public lands,” with the delisting of the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears at the top of his priority list. 

“It claws back regulations that are making gas, heating and electricity more expensive, gives local stakeholders a voice in federal land management and finally delists the grizzly bear,” Zinke said in a statement.

The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill provides new non-defense discretionary spending totaling $25.4 billion, according to a release from the House Appropriations Committee. 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.