Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is calling on the U.S. Department of the Interior to lift the hiring freeze on the National Park Service.
National Parks around the country, including Acadia National Park, are unable to conduct normal seasonal staff hiring because of the freeze, which could affect park operations this summer.
"It's hard to get seasonal workers in Maine, we always have a challenge filling all of the slots, and the longer you have to wait, the less likely you are to get them," Pingree said.
In addition, Acadia National Park annually collects $12 million of revenue from entrance fees. But because of the hiring freeze, Pingree said dozens of seasonal placements for fee collectors have been rescinded.
"There's no good argument for this," she said. "You know, sometimes people think, 'Oh, they're cutting back on employees. Good. There's too many people work for the government.' Well, not at Acadia National Park, and you don't want to stop the people who actually collect the fees and help to pay for the park."
She said losing the positions and the entrance fees, will require Congress to appropriate half a billion dollars to make up the shortfall.
In a statement, a National Park Service spokesperson said the service is "assessing our most critical staffing needs for park operations for the coming season and is working to hire key positions."
