Effective June 30, 1999, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) will impose access fees at a number of sites under the authority
of the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo). Fee Demo allows fees
to be
levied on National Forest, National Park, Fish & Wildlife, and BLM lands. Most
opposition to the program has been over fees at National Forests.
About a dozen BLM sites in Arizona and California, under the Yuma Field Office Fee Demonstration Pilot Project, will begin charging access fees. A $5 daily user fee or purchase of a $50 annual recreation permit will be required prior to use of Squaw Lake, Senator Wash Reservoir, North and South Shore, Betty's Kitchen Watchable Wildlife and Interpretive area, Ehrenberg Sandbowl, and Oxbow recreation sites.
Representative Lois Capps, whom, with
Representative Mary Bono, reintroduced the
Forest Tax Relief Act in February of this year, has announced
the introduction of a new bill in Congress on Monday, June 21st called the
Forest Access Immediate Relief (FAIR) Act (H.R.2295). The bill
would remove the Forest Service from the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program
and boost Forest Service recreation budgets by reallocating money which currently
funds the construction of new logging roads on National Forests (known as
Engineering Support for Timber). This would amount to a $37.4 million increase in
funding for the Forest Service's recreation budget.
The construction of logging roads on National Forests has long been performed by the Forest Service for the logging industry at tax payer expense. This bill would therefore move towards an equalization of financial burden for public land use between corporations and the public. It would reduce corporate subsidies, reduce the cost of visiting National Forests for the public, and increase recreation budgets on public lands all without an increasing the tax burden on the public.