Plaskett Legislation to End NPS Expansion in St. John Gains Momentum as Push to Solidify Park Boundaries Intensifies

Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, in her exclusive interview with the Consortium earlier this week, highlighted the ongoing legislative efforts to halt further expansion of the National Park Service (NPS) in St. John, addressing concerns of local residents feeling encroached upon by federally-owned land.

Asked to share her feelings about the recently-approved land swap in which Whistling Cay was traded for a parcel of federal land in Estate Catherineberg, Delegate Plaskett said, “I think what was done…for the time we’re in, needed to be done.”

However, she acknowledged that the visceral emotional reactions of St. Johnians surrounding the swap came from a valid place. “That is because of the history of St. John and the history of the development of that National Park [Service], and it needs to be addressed,” Ms. Plaskett said.

With the NPS owning roughly 60 percent of St. John, Ms. Plaskett said, “You know, the creation of the National Park was fantastic, but at what cost?” She said that legislation is currently in progress to ensure the NPS's footprint does not extend further. The bill, which Ms. Plaskett says has already had its initial hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives, will fix the boundaries of the Virgin Islands National Park permanently, so as to prevent future expansion.

“Angus King, the senator out of Maine, who is the chair of the [Energy and] Natural Resources Committee in the Senate…has agreed to work with us,” Congresswoman Plaskett said, dismissing the idea that the park’s boundaries could ever be shrunk, when asked by Consortium publisher Ernice Gilbert. “You won’t get agreement from the National Parks or the President. The President has already signaled that is something he would never sign,” she stated, adding that Mr. Biden is keen not to set a precedent that could lead to deluge of requests from states and territories to shrink the NPS's presence in their respective jurisdictions.