Senate Energy Committee chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Friday that she plans to move soon to confirm Trump’s pick to head the National Park Service.
President Trump nominated David Vela to serve as the director of the National Park Service on Friday, a selection that received praise from Murkowski and other Republican leaders on Capitol Hill.
“I’m pleased the president has nominated Mr. Vela to be Director of the National Park Service,” said Murkowski, who controls the confirmation process for Interior Department nominees.
“As we seek to improve the culture of the agency and address its multi-billion dollar maintenance backlog, I look forward to meeting him and scheduling a hearing on his nomination in the near future,” she said.
Vela is the current superintendent of the Grand Teton National Park, and considered a seasoned National Park Service leader, serving at every level of the organization with distinction throughout his career, according to the Interior Department.
“David Vela has demonstrated all of the ideals that the National Park Service stands for, and his long track record of leadership on behalf of the people and places of the National Park Service distinguish him as the right man for the job,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement. “Our extraordinary national parks will be in the best of hands with David at the helm.”
Vela said he is eager to address the Service’s maintenance backlog, which is a prime concern of Murkowski and others in the GOP.
“Addressing the maintenance backlog in our parks is long overdue, and Vela’s years of service in parks around the country will bring fresh advocacy to this continued effort,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah. “President Trump made a superb decision in picking Vela to lead the NPS. I look forward to working with him to further this important work.”
