“The unfortunate thing is we had no warning’’ the program was being wiped out of President Obama’s budget, said Bobbie Greene McCarthy, who has overseen the program at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was Clinton’s deputy chief of staff. “It was like being hit by a truck.’’
The program has provided nearly $294 million during the past decade to more than 1,100 different sites and generated at least $377 million more in matching funds, according to the National Trust. The National Park Service administers the program, but the nonprofit trust is its chief advocate and helps coordinate applicants.
Historic preservation advocates argue that the program, with its relatively meager federal funding of $30 million annually, has created more than 16,000 jobs across the country at a cost of about $14,000 each. They point out the White House’s federal stimulus package is creating jobs at a cost of $248,000 each.
At the same time, the program has become a favorite pot of money for members of Congress to fund pet projects through earmarks. Lawmakers have sent home money to restore small-town movie houses and county courthouses.
National Park Service spokesman David Barna said the Interior Department is simply facing a tight budget and wants to reclaim the program’s $30 million for priorities in national parks, which face a $9 billion maintenance backlog.
“I don’t think it’s fallen out of favor. It’s just a matter of priorities,’’ he said.
