On June 29, Senator Bob Graham (D-Florida) and
Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA) intoduced the
Recreation Fee Authority Act. This act would implement a
permanent version of the Recreational Fee
Demonstration Program (Fee Demo). However, this act would extend the program to
the Bureau of Reclamation as well as the agencies affected by Fee Demo (Forest
Service, Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management).
This act would affect about one third of the land mass of the United States.
The Recreation Fee Authority Act also includes a provision stating that monies collected under the program should not be used to displace appropriations from tax revenues, except for in the case of the Forest Service. This means that if Congress passes this act, the Forest Service could be turned from a taxpayer subsidized agency acting in the general public interest into a for-profit government agency.
Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) introduced
an amendment that would have increased funding for recreation in National Forests
by $26 million. The money for this would have been taken from oil industry
subsidies for petroleum research. The amendment failed on a vote of 254-167. The
vote loosely followed party lines with 5 out of 6 Republicans opposing the
amendment and 2 out of 3 Democrats supporting the amendment.
Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Oregn) introduced
an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2001 House Interior Appropriations bill (HR 4578).
This amendment would have prohibited the use of tax dollars from being used to
enforce vehicle passes implemented under the Recreational Fee Demonstraiton
Program. This would have essentially made the program voluntary. The amendment
failed on a voice vote.
The opposition to the amendment was led by Representative Ralph Regula (R-Ohio). Interestingly, the day before the vote, Rep. Regula was awarded the Sheldon Coleman Great Outdoors Award by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC). The ARC is a recreation industry lobby which lobbied for the creation Recreational Fee Demonstration Program in 1996 and would like to see it made permanent.
The second annual nationwide day of protest
against the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program took place on Saturday, June 10th.
This protest was dubbed the "Great Outdoors Recreation Crossroads" by
Scott Silver of Wild
Wilderness. "The fate of recreation on America's public lands is at a
crossroads," said Silver. "Traditionally, the great outdoors have been
treated as an amenity, something we have been privileged to enjoy. But the U.S.
Forest Service, Congress and private recreation companies are trying to change all
that. Fee-demo is an important component in their plans. They see the great
outdoors as a potential gold mine to be extracted by developing recreational
attractions for which ever-increasing user fees can be charged to paying
customers."
The day consisted of over 35 demonstrations in 16 states including Washington, Oregon, California, New Hampshire, Idaho, Arizona, North Carolina, New Mexico, Kentucky, Colorado, and New York. Many of the protests specifically targeted Disney who has been instrumental in promoting the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program. Protests targeting Disney were held at a number of Disney retail stores around the country, including the New York City store in Times Square. A large demonstration was also held at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
The day of protest was also timed to come the day before a weeklong event in Washington, D.C. called Great Outdoors Week. This week is organized by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC). According to the ARC, it is an event where "dozens of recreation-related associations and companies, including the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, Coleman Company, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association, and the Walt Disney Company, will join key federal agencies in focusing attention on the value and importance of outdoor recreation in America."
This national day of protest builds on last year's national day of protest against the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program. Protest turnouts were greater, and there were more protests in more states than in 1999. Media coverage varied around the country, but each protest had at least one reporter on the scene. The largest press turnouts appeared in areas where the issue is new to the local media.