May 5, 2000
The Honorable Ralph Regula
Chairman
Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515Dear Chairman Regula,
The Sierra Club would like to make you aware of our strong opposition to the Recreation Fee Demonstration program, first authorized by a rider to the FY 97 Interior Appropriations bill, and now apparently being considered for either extension or permanent authorization. While the Forest Service has claimed public acceptance, records of protest after protest in states as widely separated as California, New Hampshire, and Arizona indicate otherwise. This is an unpopular and unjustified program.
The Sierra Club opposes user fees for public lands, with the exception of reasonable National Park Service entry fees and fees for special developed facilities, such as campgrounds . The current "experimental" user fee program was ostensibly temporary in nature, set to expire in 30 months and subject to a full evaluation at that time. No meaningful demonstration has been given of its success or value. Nevertheless, another rider extended this controversial program until Sept 2001. The Sierra Club opposed the extension and strongly opposes efforts to make the program permanent.
The recreational fee program raises serious questions of free public access, social equity, forest economics, and industry subsidies. The American people already own these lands, and should have free and open access to them as long as such access does not damage the resource. We pay taxes every April 15th to support the federal management of these public lands. Rather than appropriate sufficient funding for public land protection and management, the Congress consistently chooses to subsidize extractive industrial uses of our lands, like mining, grazing and logging. It does not make economic or environmental sense to charge fees for low-impact recreational activities while subsidizing extractive industries.
Further, the fee program has the ominous potential to transform recreational management of our public lands from a public service orientation to a commercial enterprise. Recreation uses that generate the most income like mechanized-lift skiing, off-road vehicle use, resort development and power boating would undoubtedly take precedence over lower impact activities like hiking, camping, backcountry skiing, nature study, and educational outings.
This trend toward commercialization and motorization of our priceless public lands is a major reason to fight recreational user fees. Therefore, the Sierra Club is educating its members and asking them to urge their legislators to support the Capps/Bono bill (HR 786) to end "fee demo" and to work for restoration of public funding for appropriate public lands recreation.
We ask for your assistance in ending the socially and environmentally unsound Fee Demonstration program.
Carl Pope
Executive Director