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 It seems as though the Army Corps can't go more than about 12 months before the next scandal befalls it. With Katrina now more than a year old, the Corps was overdue. Here are the fixin's of what could become the Corps latest misadventure.
Why would any federal agency, in this case the Army Corps of Engineers, forego collecting recreation fees to which they are absolutely entitled and do so without APPARENT motivation or return? Why would they cut their revenue streams at a time when the disappearance of recreation funding has become such a critical issue??
As the appended press release from the Army Corps makes plain, they have just announced that they will be participating in one aspect of the controversial Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. They will be providing a 50% reduction on camping fees to those Seniors (those over 62) who have purchased the new America the Beautiful Pass (ATB), to those Americans with permanent disabilities and to those who have earned a pass by volunteering the requisite 500 hours. This is not necessarily a bad thing, yet please consider the following:
The Army Corps was not included in the legislation that authorized the America the Beautiful Pass. Only the NPS, USFS, FWS, BoR and BLM were authorized to be part of the ATB program .
The Army Corps will not be selling the ATB pass because they are not authorized to do so. The Army Coprs will not receive revenues from the sale of ATB passes, because Congress did not authorize them to participate in the program. The Army Corps has chosen, without any apparent authority, to voluntarily lose money. Why?
In a nutshell, the Army Corps and the American Recreation Coalition enjoy a relationship that some might described as "collusional". The America the Beautiful Pass which went on sale this week is the creation of the American Recreation Coalition. The ARC, for various reasons that are not in the public's interests, wants their pass to succeed. It appears that the ARC has gotten the Army Corps to commit a number of seemly unethical acts and possibly illegal acts.
To learn more, GOOGLE for the combination "American Recreation Coalition" and "Army Corps" then start reading. If you want to read only one article, here's the link to follow.
Scott
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Will Honor America the Beautiful - the National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Passes
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers will honor three of the four America The Beautiful -- the
National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands passes to give a 50 percent
reduction in day use and camping fees to pass holders at its recreation
areas beginning in January 2007.
The Corps will accept the Senior Pass for citizens and permanent
residents age 62 and over, the Access Pass for citizens or permanent
residents with an established permanent medical disability and the
Volunteer Pass. The fourth pass covers entrance fees at national parks
and forests. The Corps does not charge entrance fees.
The new passes are available as a result of the Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004. The legislation established the new
discount pass program to replace the Golden Passport Program for all
agencies. The Corps will continue to accept Golden Access and Golden
Age Passports according to the provisions of the pass. In addition,
paper Golden Age and Golden Access Passports may be exchanged free of
charge for new plastic passes.
The new passes may be obtained in person at USDA Forest Service,
National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management
and Fish and Wildlife Service facilities. The Corps will not issue the
passes.
Additional information about the recreation pass program is available at http://www.recreation.gov/recpass.jsp
The Corps encourages all Americans to enjoy the nation's public lands
and waters. The Corps is the largest federal provider of outdoor
recreation opportunities, operating more than 2,500 recreation areas at
456 projects (mostly lakes) and leasing an additional 1,800 sites to
state or local park and recreation authorities or private interests.
The Corps hosts about 375 million visits each year at its lakes,
beaches and other areas, and estimates that 25 million Americans (one
in ten) visit a Corps project at least once a year to recreate.
Additional information about the Corps' recreation program is available
at http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm
SOURCE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Related links:
# http://www.recreation.gov/recpass.jsp
# http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm
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- Land management 
