A massive federal spending bill passed by Congress earlier this week tended to split the difference between House and Senate funding for the National Park Service.

According to an internal Park Service memo, released by the National Parks Traveler Web site, the final funding figure for the agency was just over $2 billion -- $52 million down from the House figure and about $43 million up from the Senate total.

According to Al Nash and Jackie Skaggs, spokespeople for Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, it will be mid-January before a more detailed understanding about what the funding bill means can filter down from Park Service headquarters to regional offices and then down to individual parks.

“It always takes time for information to filter through the system,” said Skaggs, as to how much money Grand Teton will have for its maintenance backlog or summer hires.

Nash agreed, adding that the holiday season tends to interfere with financial analysis.

“The parking lot this morning was fairly empty,” he said.

Still, the Park Service will see an additional $153.4 million over the 2007 budget. The appropriations bill fully funds all fixed costs, as well as provides $100 million to help the Park Service gear up for its centennial in 2016.

Bill language does include Senate support for a Yellowstone municipal solid waste construction project, which Nash speculated might be a composting facility planned for the outskirts of West Yellowstone.

The bill also contains $986,000 for wolf control in the three states around Yellowstone and $3.7 million for a wastewater system in the park, according to the offices of Montana Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester.