Key Takeaways
- • Blackstone donated $105 million to establish a conservation and stewardship fund in Yellowstone National Park, announced Monday by the National Park Service and Yellowstone Forever, the park's fundraising arm.
- • The park describes the gift as the "largest single private gift in National Park Service history," while conservationists question the motives of a private equity firm with heavy data center investments.
- • Tallgrass, a Blackstone-acquired energy infrastructure company, is developing a 1.8-gigawatt AI data center campus in Cheyenne, Wyoming, fueling criticism from advocacy groups.
- • Yellowstone Forever CEO Lisa Diekmann says Blackstone and Tallgrass will have no say over funded projects, which will be administered by Yellowstone Forever with Park Service retaining full management authority.
- • The Park Service faces a $24 billion deferred maintenance backlog, with Yellowstone alone facing $1.2 billion in repair costs, raising questions about reliance on private philanthropy.
Summary
Blackstone, one of the world's largest private equity firms and a major data center investor, recently donated $105 million to establish a conservation and stewardship fund in Yellowstone National Park. According to a news release, the agreement announced Monday by the National Park Service and Yellowstone Forever "will advance conservation and research, strengthen park infrastructure and expand visitor access to Yellowstone." The fund is supported by Tallgrass, an energy infrastructure company that operates more than 10,000 miles of mostly oil and natural gas pipelines. Blackstone acquired Tallgrass in 2020, and today Tallgrass is one of many portfolio companies for which Blackstone Infrastructure Partners manages a total of $90 billion in assets.
Lisa Diekmann, president and CEO of Yellowstone Forever, told SFGATE that Blackstone and Tallgrass would have no say in which projects the fund supports, stating that "the fund will be administered by Yellowstone Forever." The park's release noted that the Park Service "will retain full authority over park management decisions." The fund will first support planning, design and construction of a new visitor center at Norris Geyser Basin, which Diekmann described as the third-busiest destination in Yellowstone and inadequate for current demand. Other potential projects include wildlife fisheries, watershed and geothermal conservation, research equipment, research partnerships, and internship and fellowship programs. Sean Klimczak, Blackstone's global head of infrastructure, described Yellowstone as "one of America's great natural treasures" and said the gift reflects a belief that "infrastructure investment can and should be a force for good."
Conservation advocates have criticized the donation. A spokesperson for Resistance Rangers, a group of off-duty and former park rangers, said for-profit corporations do not give millions without expecting something in return, and pointed to Tallgrass's planned Cheyenne data center. Blackstone has reportedly invested at least $200 billion in data centers as of this summer, which the article notes are facing growing local opposition over noise, water use and utility prices. Jayson O'Neil, a spokesperson for Save Our Parks, characterized the donation as a cheap fix to park problems created by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and warned of privatization. The article also notes Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone's CEO, has donated billions to Republican candidates and super PACs, including President Donald Trump.
The donation comes as the Park Service confronts a $24 billion deferred maintenance backlog, with Yellowstone facing $1.2 billion in repair costs. According to Associated Press reporting cited in the article, taxpayer dollars have been diverted from parks to fund 250th anniversary celebrations, White House projects and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool repairs. The Park Service has also lost about a quarter of its staff under the Trump administration.
Lisa Diekmann, president and CEO of Yellowstone Forever, told SFGATE that Blackstone and Tallgrass would have no say in which projects the fund supports, stating that "the fund will be administered by Yellowstone Forever." The park's release noted that the Park Service "will retain full authority over park management decisions." The fund will first support planning, design and construction of a new visitor center at Norris Geyser Basin, which Diekmann described as the third-busiest destination in Yellowstone and inadequate for current demand. Other potential projects include wildlife fisheries, watershed and geothermal conservation, research equipment, research partnerships, and internship and fellowship programs. Sean Klimczak, Blackstone's global head of infrastructure, described Yellowstone as "one of America's great natural treasures" and said the gift reflects a belief that "infrastructure investment can and should be a force for good."
Conservation advocates have criticized the donation. A spokesperson for Resistance Rangers, a group of off-duty and former park rangers, said for-profit corporations do not give millions without expecting something in return, and pointed to Tallgrass's planned Cheyenne data center. Blackstone has reportedly invested at least $200 billion in data centers as of this summer, which the article notes are facing growing local opposition over noise, water use and utility prices. Jayson O'Neil, a spokesperson for Save Our Parks, characterized the donation as a cheap fix to park problems created by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and warned of privatization. The article also notes Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone's CEO, has donated billions to Republican candidates and super PACs, including President Donald Trump.
The donation comes as the Park Service confronts a $24 billion deferred maintenance backlog, with Yellowstone facing $1.2 billion in repair costs. According to Associated Press reporting cited in the article, taxpayer dollars have been diverted from parks to fund 250th anniversary celebrations, White House projects and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool repairs. The Park Service has also lost about a quarter of its staff under the Trump administration.
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