The boost President Obama wants to see in the National Park Service's budget for the next fiscal year is a huge one compared to recent budgets, and his work is being applauded by those who support the national parks. But will it be embraced by the Republican-controlled Congress?

In a move seen by park proponents as erasing years of budgetary declines, one that could help the nation economically and bolster the country's tourism industry, the president has proposed a double-digit increase in funding for the Park Service, one aimed at both reversing inflation's effect on the agency's budget and preparing the National Park System for the Park Service Centennial next year.

While President Obama proposed a $55.1 million increase in the agency's FY15 budget, for the coming fiscal year he's seeking a bump of $432.9 million -- the most for any Interior Department agency -- that, if approved, would push the Park Service budget to $3 billion. Most of that increase would be dedicated to helping the agency prepare for its centennial. In doing so, it would make inroads to what's been portrayed as an $11 billion, or more, backlog in maintenance. A bit less than $243 million of the increase would be earmarked for deferred maintenance needs related to 6,735 projects across the system.

But at a time when the administration is opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, when the president is seeking to protect most of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as Wilderness, and when key House Republicans have derided the administration's off-shore leasing plan, how will the Park Service budget be received?

Supporters of the Park Service say the proposal aims to "rectify years of chronic underfunding with a significant investment in park operations and more than $1 billion to address the National Park System’s $11.3 billion maintenance backlog. It also funds a public-private partnership – the Centennial Challenge – in connection with the system’s 2016 centennial."

At the National Parks Conservation Association, Craig Obey, senior vice president of government affairs, noted that the budget proposal "calls for substantial and much-needed investment in our country’s most-treasured natural and historical places. As our National Park System heads into its centennial, this budget seizes the moment to turn the tide on years of underfunding and put our parks on a path to thrive for another hundred years. This is an important, viable investment in our parks that serve as the economic engines for tourism and recreation in communities nationwide."

The centennial, Mr. Obey added, should be viewed as a catalyst for "a renewed commitment to protect America’s most special places. We have an opportunity for a bipartisan effort to reverse years of neglect and restore our parks while creating jobs and boosting local economies. The National Park Service is entrusted with these treasured sites, but it is Congress that is entrusted with making sure they will last. The administration and Congress can and should work together to forge a budget process that will set our national parks on a course for a bold second century.”

The overall increase in the Park Service's budget reflects a 17 percent bump from last year's budget amount. The proposal seeks to restore "funding to levels prior to the sequester and other cuts, calling for a $239 million increase," NPCA noted.

The president also wants a $113 million increase in the Park Service's construction account, a move that would restore that line item to prior levels, and provide a $40 million increase for the Centennial Challenge, a public-private partnership that leverages matching donations for specific projects throughout the country.

According to NPCA, there has been more than a 7 percent, or $173 million, reduction in the account to operate national parks and more than a 12 percent, or $364 million, reduction in the total budget for the National Park Service over the last five years when viewed in today’s dollars. Since 2005, the total budget for the National Park Service has declined by nearly a half-billion dollars, or 22 percent, in today’s dollars, the advocacy group noted.

To put the Park Service budget in perspective, NPCA's fiscal analysts said the agency's budget "represents just one-fifteenth of 1 percent of the federal budget, costing the average family about as much as a cup of coffee each year in income tax dollars."

At the Outdoor Industry Association, Jessica Wahl, that group's recreation policy advisory, pointed out that the park system helps "the outdoor recreation industry support $646 billion in consumer spending and more than six million jobs annually. As the National Park System celebrates its centennial year, a robust federal investment as proposed by the President will ensure unforgettable recreational opportunities for generations to come.”

The park system's role in preserving the nation's history shouldn't be overlooked, either, said Tom Cassidy, vice president of government affairs for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“From the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and Chaco Cultural National Historical Park to the Fort Monroe National Monument and so many other places, national parks tell the stories of all Americans,” said Mr. Cassidy. “Investments in national parks are essential to protect our historic and cultural resources, especially as we approach the centennial anniversary of our National Parks.”