jon Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 ---- CONGRESS EXTENDS FEE-DEMO THROUGH 2005 ---- The Interior Appropriators have done it again. They have extended the highly controversial Recreation Fee Demonstration Program one more time. Originally authorized as a rider attached to the 1996 Interior Appropriations Bill, fee-demo was to have been a three-year experiment. If fee-demo proved itself, Congress would almost certainly grant it permanent authorization. But because fee-demo, especially as practiced by the USFS, BLM and FWS, has been a flop and has become a political hot-potato, all that the proponents of fee-demo can manage is to keep the program on life-support by attaching extensions to annual appropriations bills. They do not have the votes to make it permanent and certainly do not have the public's support. So while opponents of fee-demo had hoped that Congress would allow the program to die peacefully, we are thankful that Congress did not grant the full two-year extension Mr. Bush had requested. We expect that this latest 15 month extension will be the LAST extension fee-demo will ever get. We expect that the fate of fee-demo will be resolved in 2004 and are optimistic that this program will be terminated, at least for the USFS, BLM and FWS. Pasted below are the TWO references to fee-demo contained within the Interior Appropriations Bill that recently passed out of Conference Committee. One reference extends the program. The other stipulates that fee-demo revenues may not be used to displace private / commercial recreation-provides now operating on public lands. This second reference is of critical importance. The USFS has long denied the claims of fee-demo opponents who say fee-demo was created by the recreation industry explicitly to commercialize and privatize recreational opportunities upon public lands. USFS spokespersons have said fee-demo would allow federal agencies to regain control of campgrounds and other facilities that had previously been given to the private sector to operate because fee-demo would all the USFS to keep the fees collected. They said fee-demo would help reverse the growing trend toward commercialization and privation of the Great Outdoors. They were wrong. Scott PS... The most valuable action you could take today to end fee-demo would be to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Ask your friends, neighbors and community to become active participants in the Democratic progress and have them communicate their concerns directly to their elected representatives. ------ begin quoted ------- http://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=45319927752+ 1+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve [Congressional Record: October 28, 2003 (House)] [Page H9898-H9959] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:cr28oc03-101] CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2691, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004 <snip> ----- Sec. 319. A project undertaken by the Forest Service under the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program as authorized by section 315 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1996, as amended, shall not result in-- (1) displacement of the holder of an authorization to provide commercial recreation services on Federal lands. Prior to initiating any project, the Secretary shall consult with potentially affected holders to determine what impacts the project may have on the holders. Any modifications to the authorization shall be made within the terms and conditions of the authorization and authorities of the impacted agency; (2) the return of a commercial recreation service to the Secretary for operation when such services have been provided in the past by a private sector provider, except when-- (A) the private sector provider fails to bid on such opportunities; (B) the private sector provider terminates its relationship with the agency; or © the agency revokes the permit for non-compliance with the terms and conditions of the authorization. In such cases, the agency may use the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program to provide for operations until a subsequent operator can be found through the offering of a new prospectus. <snip> Section 332--The conference agreement modifies House section 332 to extend the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program for 15 months instead of a two-year extension as proposed by the House. --------- PS... For the past 11 years, the Congressional champion of fee-demo has been Ohio Congressman Ralph Regula. Mr. Regula introduced the first attempt at stand-alone fee-demo legislation (HR 4690, 102nd Congress). Mr. Regula inserted the current fee-demo language into the 1996 Interior Appropriations Bill. Mr. Regula inserted extension language in subsequent bills and Mr. Regula is the primary sponsor of legislation recently introduced to permanently authorize recreation user fees (HR 3283). Why is a Congressmen from a state with so few federally-managed public lands working so hard to on this issue. Whose interests is he representing? If you'd like those answers and more, please call me at 541-385-5261 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Scott Silver Wild Wilderness 248 NW Wilmington Ave. Bend, OR 97701 phone: 541-385-5261 e-mail: ssilver@wildwilderness.org Internet: http://www.wildwilderness.org ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisT Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 nice shokka shred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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