The National Park Service says that, beginning in 2016, people will be able to buy passes online to visit some national parks, including Acadia in Down East Maine.

Maine’s U.S. Sen. Angus King, who has been pushing the park service to modernize its operations and make parks more accessible, said he was told about the pilot program during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Thursday.

His office said the new system will give buyers the option of receiving passes instantly, and could eventually include phone-based apps.

“A wave of new technology has fundamentally changed how we access information, goods and services and it’s encouraging that the National Park Service is beginning to embrace that revolution,” King said in a press release. “Electronic park passes would make it easier for the American people to enjoy our nation’s most treasured landscapes, and that would be a boon to the park service as it works to generate revenue and sustain its resources for generations to come. With plans for the new passes to be tested at Acadia, Maine will once again be leading the way.”

Earlier this year, King and Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell urging her agency to develop technology for electronic park passes. They also urged Jewell to test the system at Acadia.

King’s office said it’s unclear which other national parks might be involved.


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