“The federal government’s presence in New England has been reduced significantly during the past eight years, and the recent plan to dismantle the National Park Service Regional office made no sense at all,” said Delahunt. “The National Parks of New England are important conservation areas and need to be supported by a well staffed and fully functioning regional office.”
Delahunt has long been concerned over the downsizing of numerous federal agency offices during the Bush Administration, such as the Small Business Administration, Department of Labor and the Department of Energy. With President Obama taking office, and a new Park Service Director in place, Delahunt wasted no time in urging the incoming administration to revisit the plan to dismantle the regional office. Earlier this year, he organized a staff briefing for Congressional offices and a letter writing campaign in opposition.
The Rightsizing Implementation Plan, developed prior to the Obama Administration, would have moved most Parks Service operations for the Northeast Region to Philadelphia. The original plan would have closed the Boston office at 15 State St., and reduced the number of Boston area jobs from 107 to 45.
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