Fee Demo Program Chicanery

[Doug]

We're sending you a copy of a major press release from two days ago, on the new General Accounting Office (GAO) Report on the forest fee money trail.

 

The details are scandalous! The Forest Service has been shown to be dangerously unaccountable with respect to its cost of collection figures. It also spent in 2001 what amounts to a $10 million slush fund in appropriated tax dollars (which was never revealed to Congress in the

Forest Service's annual Fee Demo reports) in order to secretly triple the program's administration and

enforcement budget. It is now clear that - in 2001 - the Forest Service spent $15 million to raise $15 million!

 

At the end are details on calling and/or writing your Congressman and Senators - please take a minute to do so. We need to keep the heat on forest fees as never before. President Bush has called on Congress to

make recreation user fees permanent on all federal lands, this year. It is crucial that we keep Congress aware of our strong opposition to permanent fees.

 

 

NEWLY RELEASED GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE REPORT SLAMS ACCOUNTABILITY OF US FOREST SERVICE FEE DEMO PROGRAM

 

A General Accounting Office (GAO) 40-page report titled "Information on Forest Service Management of Revenue from the Fee Demonstration Program" (2001), requested by Rep. Scott McInnis (R, Western Colorado) and released May 19, 2003, "reveals a deep-seated culture of deception and a total lack of accountability within the US Forest Service's Fee Demo program", say's Scott Silver, Executive Director of Oregon-based, Wild

Wilderness. The full report can be downloaded from:

http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-470,

highlights can be read at http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d03470high.pdf

 

HERE IS WHAT THE GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE FOUND:

 

The US Forest Service (USFS) has been secretly subsidizing the management of its Fee Demo program with (in 2001) $10 million of appropriated tax dollars (p.32).

 

Costs of fee collection at major Fee Demo "sites" - such as the Southern California "Adventure Pass' and the Oregon and Washington "Northwest Forest Pass" - have been under-reported by concealing hundreds of

thousands of dollars in commissions received by pass vendors. (p.25).

 

The USFS has no mechanism for ascertaining whether Fee Demo has lessened the deferred maintenance backlog, which is the very purpose for which Fee Demo was created by Congress in 1996. What's more the GAO concludes that the USFS has no idea how large their maintenance backlog really is! (p.22)

 

"In what amounts to a complete absence of accountability on the part of Fee Demo managers across the nation, the Forest Service has failed to mention in its annual Fee Demo Progress Reports to Congress that (in

2001) close to $10 million was used as a tax-dollar subsidy to administer the program" (p.32)

said Robert Funkhouser, President, Colorado-based Western Slope No Fee Coalition. "This alone immediately triples the $5 million which the Forest Service was declaring as the true cost of collection and administration for the program" adds Funkhouser.

 

HOW MUCH FEE DEMO MONEY REALLY GOES TO HELP OUR FORESTS?

 

The Forest Service's reported gross Fee Demo revenue for FY 2001 was over $35 million (p.6). From this figure we must subtract the reported cost of collection, $5,051,000 (p. 9), the $10 million of appropriated funds used to support the fee demonstration program (p.32), and the $4.6 million in user-fees previously collected at sites that produced fee income prior to becoming fee-demonstration sites [i.e., campgrounds, boat launches, etc.

 

(Source: April 2002 Interim Report to Congress on Fee Demo, p.23).]

After these adjustments to gross are made, all of Forest Service fee-demo sites in all of the USA generated a total net increase in fee revenues of a mere $15 million.

 

Based upon these figures, "The cost of collection is closer to 50% - requiring more than $15 million to raise less than $15 million," said Funkhouser. "The $15 million adjusted net revenue is likely to still be too high" adds Alasdair Coyne, Director of California-based Keep the

Sespe Wild who in June 2002 obtained information about vendor discounts using the Freedom of Information Act. "Vendor discounts for Adventure Passes sold in Southern California resulted in another $288,500 in lost

fee-demo revenues. The revenues lost through vendor discounts at other sites throughout the nation are unknown but are likely to be considerable", said Coyne.

 

"Until the General Accounting Office audits the BLM and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Fee Demo programs the amounts of cost of collection and the use of appropriated funds for program management is unclear. The net revenues for the BLM and USFWS combined is less than $4 million" adds Silver.

 

FEE DEMO'S FUTURE IN THE BALANCE

 

The Fee Demo Program was enacted in 1996, extended at least four times and is currently set to expire on September 30, 2004. Legislation to make it permanent did not move forward in 2002. President Bush has once

again asked Congress to make these fees permanent but no legislation has yet been introduced in the current session.

 

"Across the nation, forest fees have outraged the American public, who are well aware that tax dollars have maintained our National Forests for over a century, for all Americans to enjoy," said Silver. Forest fee protest groups are active in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington and other states. The state legislatures of California, Colorado, Oregon and New Hampshire have passed

resolutions calling for an end to the Fee Demo program as have dozens of counties, cities and towns across the

nation

(for details see www.freeourforests.org/opposition.html).

 

"It is time for Congress to terminate this ill-conceived fee program, Americans have already paid taxes to maintain what is theirs. The perverse incentive created by letting the land management agencies appropriate their own funds, outside of congressional oversight, leads

to the abuses we see in this report." states Funkhouser. "This GAO Report shows that the Forest

Service misled Congress and the American people about the enormous costs involved with forest fees."

 

Silver concludes: "This year Congress must decide the future of Fee Demo in our National Forests. The data revealed by the recent GAO Report show this to be an incredibly inefficient means of raising funds for public lands. The public has rejected Fee Demo and after seven years of the program so should Congress."

 

Congressman McInnis, who is not philosophically opposed to the fees, requested the GAO audit to look into concerns raised by the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition and his constituents regarding the program.

 

 

PLEASE WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS!

 

Please take a minute to write or call your Congressman and your State's two Senators to demand the immediate end of forest fees! Scroll down for what to say on the phone and a sample letter. Later in the year we'll target particular committees in Congress with our alerts.

 

Your Congressman: Call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected. Letters should be addressed - Congressman..., House of

Representatives, Washington DC, 20515.

 

Your Senator: Here's a list of Senators from the major Western States that have forest fees, with their phone numbers and addresses.

 

WESTERN SENATORS

CA - Barbara Boxer (202) 224-3553;

112 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

CA - Dianne Feinstein (202) 224-3841;

331 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

OR - Gordon Smith (202) 224-3753;

404 Russell, Washington, DC 20510

OR - Ron Wyden (202) 224-5244;

516 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

WA - Maria Cantwell (202) 224-3441;

717 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

WA - Patty Murray (202) 224-2621;

173 Russell, Washington, DC 20510

ID - Larry Craig (202) 224-2752;

520 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

ID - Michael Crapo (202) 224-6142;

111 Russell, Washington, DC 20510

UT - Robert Bennett (202) 224-5444;

431 Dirksen, Washington, DC 20510

UT - Orrin Hatch (202) 224-5251;

104 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

MT - Max Baucus (202) 224-2651;

511 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

MT - Conrad Burns (202) 224-2644;

187 Dirksen, Washington, DC 20510

CO - Wayne Allard (202) 224-5941;

525 Dirksen, Washington, DC 20510

CO - Ben Nighthorse Campbell (202) 224-5852;

380 Russell, Washington, DC 20510

AZ - Jon Kyl, (202) 224-4521;

730 Hart, Washington, DC 20510

AZ - John McCain (202) 224-2235;

241 Russell, Washington, DC 20510

 

 

ON THE PHONE

 

* Tell your Senator or Congressman's staff that you've seen the GAO Report about Fee Demo on our National Forests (the Report's number is GAO-03-470);

 

* Tell them why you're calling about it - (example) The Forest Service is unaccountable for the fee money they've spent. - Forest fees make so little money - and are so unpopular - that they need to be terminated

this summer;

 

* BLM and US Fish & Wildlife Service recreation fees must also be terminated.

 

(A brief phone message is adequate.)

 

 

SAMPLE LETTER (Please vary it somewhat from this sample version!)

 

Dear Senator...,

 

I've seen the GAO Report on the Recreation Fee Demo Program on our National Forests. The program must be terminated this summer on National Forests and on BLM and US Fish & Wildlife Service lands.

 

The Forest Service is not accountable for the money they've raised with forest fees.

 

The Forest Service has been supplementing their fee revenues with $10 million in appropriated tax dollars, which means they spent $15 million in 2001 to raise $15 million, when Congress limited Fee Demo's cost of

collection to 15% of revenues.

 

Will you find out for me the total amount of appropriated dollars that the Forest Service has used on forest fees since 1996 and what it was spent on?

 

(Add why you personally oppose forest fees.)

 

Yours,

Sincerely,

(PLEASE PRINT YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS VERY CLEARLY.)

 

 

[freeclimb9]

I've written my state senators in the past, and I don't see them voting to abolish the Fee Demonstration Project. I just wrote both Utah Senators with the following note:

"I listed the topic as "Agriculture" since my main concerns lie with behavior of a Dept. of Agriculture entity: the Forest Service.

I request that the Fee Demonstration Project not be extended --at least without major tweaking of Forest Service accounting and collection processes-- (and definitely not be made permanent) based on the recent report from the GAO (http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d03470high.pdf). The GAO report states 1) that the "Forest Service information on Fee Demonstration expenditure is not consistently reported"; 2) the "Forest Service has no process for measuring the impact of Fee Revenues on deferred maintenance"' and 3) the Forest Service has inaccurate reporting of some Fee Collection."

The collected Fee Demonstration Project funds have not supplanted recreation programs funds, and have not resulted in a decline of congressional appropriations for Forest Service recreation programs.

I think there should be stricter Congressional oversight."

[MysticNacho]

I bought a forest pass last year. I will not renew it when it expires next month. So, I've heard conflicting reports: if and when I get a ticket, do I have to pay? I've heard the FS has no power of collection, and I've heard that they do. I'd like to hang the tickets on my wall, or trade them like baseball cards, etc. but I don't want the "man" knocking down my door either.

[Weekend_Climberz]

My buddy parked without one about a month ago and they stuck an envelope and registration form so that you could send money in and buy a pass. He went ahead and did it, but I don't think they enforce it until like Memorial Day weekend (so right about now). Don't take my word on it though. I think there used to be a post about this somewhere... here it is

[catturdeat]

I have said it before, and I will say it again:

 

NEVER PAY ANY FEE. FLOOD the system with unpaid tickets, and the system will COLLAPSE. There is no "FEE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT" without the sheep who eagerly stuff their money into an envelope at the slightest suggestion.

 

NO Trail Park Pass. NO Climber's Fee. NO Day Users fee. Public lands are your lands, you own them because you pay taxes. These fees is not taxes, they are a money grab that not only violates your right to protection from illegal taxation, it also excludes the segment of the public that has no money from using public lands. Too poor, too bad. You can stay at home. Fuck that!!!

 

DO NOT BUY A TRAIL PARK PASS!! NEVER PAY ANY FEE!!

[Dave_Schuldt]

This report is sad. I am not surprised. FUCKERS!!!!!!

[CrackMaster]

Doug, It's nice to see someone else inflamed by fee demo. Its an outrage. Last weekend, my husband and I took our son to Peshastin Pinnacles and guess what? A $5 fee to park in the parking lot. We were upset to say the least, complements of fee demo. We've been going there for years. It's an outrage to no longer be able to enjoy public lands (no longer public). For someone who's grown up in the Northwest, I've spent my whole life, hiking, climbing, camping, etc... That's what we did for fun, we never had any money and taking the kids camping with a package of hot dogs and soda was it. Well, if you can't pay you can no longer play. It's a shame and scarey; the exploitation and privatation that is sure to follow if fee demo becomes permanent, sad....

 

It looks like we're on the same e-mail list. I receive e-mail from Scott Silver all the time. I've printed out his flyer and posted hundreds of them on parked vehicles up the icicle in Leavenworth. No one has ever called me. I've written a couple editorials on fee demo and state park fees in the Wenatchee World. It's good to see someone else in these parts interested in putting a stop to this regressive tax.

 

Good luck and take care. Betty Merriman

[CrackMaster]

Bravo!!

I agree, I have never paid a fee and I never will.

[bunglehead]

catturdeat said:

I have said it before, and I will say it again:

 

NEVER PAY ANY FEE. FLOOD the system with unpaid tickets, and the system will COLLAPSE. There is no "FEE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT" without the sheep who eagerly stuff their money into an envelope at the slightest suggestion.

 

NO Trail Park Pass. NO Climber's Fee. NO Day Users fee. Public lands are your lands, you own them because you pay taxes. These fees is not taxes, they are a money grab that not only violates your right to protection from illegal taxation, it also excludes the segment of the public that has no money from using public lands. Too poor, too bad. You can stay at home. Fuck that!!!

 

DO NOT BUY A TRAIL PARK PASS!! NEVER PAY ANY FEE!!

 

 

Hey if they can't enforce it, I'll never, EVER buy a trail park pass again. It's double taxation and total bullshit. Isn't there an annual protest day where nobody pays?

Fuck the Forest Service, and The Recreation Coalition of Amerika. We shouldn't have to pay to use OUR land. I will write my congressman.