EVEN THOUGH SOME NATIONAL PARK FEES GO AWAY

Park Groups Endorse RAT Repeal

By Bill Schneider, 12-19-07

There’s a big difference between our national parks and our national forests, as we know, and there’s also a big difference in the impact of the so-called Baucus-Crapo bill, which would repeal most federal agency fee-charging authority.

Even though the exact impact isn’t clear, we know national park entrance fees would remain and some other fees, such as fees for hiking permits, would go away, two major park advocacy groups have decided to support the bill.

The National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) is the leading national group advocating preservation of our national parks and adequate funding for park operations. NPCA staff were involved in the drafting of S. 2438, the Fee Repeal and Expanded Access Act, and NPCA endorses it, primarily because the bill spikes the recently created America the Beautiful Pass and reinstates the National Parks Pass.

“We strongly support the reinstatement of the national parks pass,” Craig Obey, Vice President for Government Affairs for NPCA, told NewWest.Net. “This pass is a terrific value for park visitors and enjoyed strong public support. We also appreciate the bill allowing the National Park Service to continue to retain monies collected from park pass sales, entrance fees, and other fees.”

Obey likes the idea of Congress taking a close look at the entire fee structure. “They (Baucus and Crapo) have launched a process to evaluate the whole thing, and it all needs some oversight.”

S. 2438 specifically allows the National Park Service (NPS) to continue charging entrance fees, but caps them at $25, the current fee for many large parks, and also allows the NPS to continue charging for “specialized recreation sites,” which is detailed in the legislation as developed campgrounds, “highly-developed” boat launches and swimming sites with lifeguards, fish cleaning stations, and “managed” parking lots (i.e. not trailhead parking). Also allowed are rentals of cabins, lookouts, boats, stock animals and audio tour devices; hook ups to sanitary dump stations, sewer, and electricity; and use of “transportation services” (i.e. shuttle buses and snow coaches).

Interpretive talks and guided trips probably will also continue because these fees are charged under a different authority than the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which S. 2438 repeals.

The point of the above list is national parks can no longer charge some “layered” fees they now charge, chief among them fees for backcountry hiking or river permits. Parks can still require the permit, as they should to control resource damage, but not charge for it. The architects of this bill believe the entrance fee should cover use of dispersed, undeveloped amenities in our national parks.

But this diminished fee-charging authority hasn’t stopped NPCA or the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees (CNPSR) from supporting S. 2438.

“CNPSR is pleased that the bill would eliminate the America the Beautiful pass and restore the National Parks Pass and the Golden Eagle Passport,” Bill Wade, chair of the group’s executive council, told NewWest.Net. “The problem of increasing and expanding fees in parks still exists, however, and will, I’m afraid, until the Congress fully funds the essential operations in parks.”

Concerning fees for backcountry and river permits, Wade said, “These services ought to be covered under the entrance fee in parks, in my judgment.”

Keep in mind that all of the above refers to NPS-managed sites only. The Forest Service and other federal agencies would lose virtually all fee-charging authority with the exception of stays in developed campgrounds.

For more NewWest.Net coverage of the recreational fee issue, check out the Recreational Fee Chronology.

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