Congress establishes new Recreation Fee Program

From the American Hiking Society

Congress approved the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act as a "rider" to the FY 2005 omnibus spending bill, replacing the Fee Demo experimental program started in 1996. The new fee program is based on legislation introduced last year and amended and approved by the House Resources Committee. American Hiking submitted joint testimony with the Outdoor Industry Association earlier this fall to express concerns with the bill.

Provisions within the new law include:

• Extending the fee program to five agencies for ten years (adding the Bureau of Reclamation)
• Altered fee structure to eliminate fees for primitive backcountry and wilderness recreation and charge fees only where there is a clear and demonstrable service
• Creating a new national, interagency pass
• Public notification and involvement procedures including creation of Recreation Resource Advisory Committees
• Authority to recognize volunteers with passes

The Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo), authorized by Congress in 1996 as a three-year experimental program and subsequently extended through December 2005, entitled the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service to test new or increased entrance and user fees as a means to provide supplemental funds to the agencies for maintenance backlogs, visitor services, and resource management needs.

American Hiking urged Congress to conduct comprehensive oversight hearings, including broad representation from affected recreation constituencies and a more in-depth analysis of areas of concern, before permanently authorizing a recreation fee program. We will continue to work with Congress, the federal agencies, and our members to ensure the proper role and application of recreation fees. For more information, visit http://www.americanhiking.org/policy/current/feedemo.html