WESTERN SLOPE NO-FEE COALITION

September 19, 2014

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In This Issue

STOP THIS BILL

ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

THE FEE-FREE PRESS

DEAR PUBLIC LANDS SUPPORTER
Kitty Benzar ,

YOU DID IT!

Last night congress enacted a temporary funding bill to keep the government operating until December 11. House bill HR 5204, which would allow access fees for all federal lands was not included!
Instead, the current law, which authorizes the Forest Service and BLM to charge fees for developed facilities and prohibits them for access to undeveloped areas was extended to December 11, 2015.
Thanks! to everyone who called, wrote, and emailed your U.S. Representative and Senators.

HR 5204 will be back on the table when congress returns after the election, so we are not done yet. Next steps are detailed below.

STOP THIS BILL

HOUSE BILL WOULD ALLOW FEES FOR ALL PUBLIC LAND ACCESS

Just before the House adjourned for their August recess, HR 5204 The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Modernization Act of 2014, was introduced by U.S. Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT) and rammed through the House Resources Committee, without a hearing, by its Chairman, U.S. Representative Doc Hastings (R-WA). Not a single member of the Committee of either party lodged any objection.

The Committee did not even consider HR 5204 on its own merits, or open it up for debate. Instead it was lumped into a package of ten "non-controversial" and "bipartisan" bills that were voted on as a group. The Chairman declared them approved by "unanimous consent," without a roll call, in the final five minutes of a 2 hour meeting, after most of the rest of the Committee members had already left the room. You can see this bogus process in action in the video archived at the House website at this link.

HR 5204, if enacted, could destroy the concept of public lands as places where everyone has access and is welcome. Every place, every activity, every person, could be required to pay a fee - an additional tax on top of the taxes that already support public lands - for access, regardless whether they are highly developed campgrounds and National Parks, or completely undeveloped like Wilderness Areas and backcountry roads and trails.

HR 5204 would allow the kind of fees that have not been controversial to continue, such as fees for developed campgrounds and National Park entrance fees. But in addition to those fees, it would allow general access fees for any federal recreational lands and waters. It would accomplish this by two types of fee: Day Use Fees and Permit Fees.

The only meaningful requirement for a Day Use Fee would be that where you park there is a toilet of some kind (could be a porta-potty or a stinky outhouse) within 1/2 mile.

The only meaningful requirement for a Permit Fee would be that where you park gives access to a "special area." Neither "special" nor "area" is defined. The land agencies would have complete discretion to claim that any place at all is a "special area."

So where there is a toilet it could be called a Day Use Fee. Where there is not a toilet, it could be called a Permit Fee. The result is the same: there would not be anyplace where a fee is not allowed. And since the agencies would get to keep all the fee money directly, there would be not be anywhere that they wouldn't have a strong incentive to charge a fee.

Public lands? Forget that. Not any more. Not if this passes.

There is other stuff in HR 5204 (like no more fee-free days, citizenship checks on annual pass holders, and overhead costs rising from 15% to 25%), but they only rearrange the deck chairs on the sinking ship of our public lands.

A detailed analysis of the major provisions is on our website at this link.

Thanks to your efforts, HR 5204 was not attached to the Continuing Resolution enacted last night to keep the government funded until December 11. But it is not dead. Congress will reconvene after the election for a lame duck session, and we expect HR 5204 to come roaring back, possibly as a rider on a more permanent "must-pass" appropriations bill.

What can stop it?
ONLY ONE THING: PUBLIC OUTRAGE-PUBLIC ACTION.

If you care about our public lands being turned into commodities available only to those who can afford to pay fees for everything, then you must let YOUR Representative and YOUR Senators hear from you. Tell them that this major change in public policy cannot be allowed, particularly without any public hearing or debate.

HR 5204 lacks any over-arching vision or framework of our public lands being spaces where we all are welcome and have access. Yet it's being supported by groups like the American Recreation Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, The Wilderness Society, and America Outdoors, because it throws a bone here and there to their special interests. For the general public, there is nothing redeeming in this bill, nor any way it could be amended into something acceptable. It represents a complete change in public lands policy, which would be accomplished without public hearings or debate.

Tell your congressional delegation to OPPOSE HR 5204 and TO NOT ALLOW IT TO BE ATTACHED TO AN APPROPRIATIONS BILL!

All the contact information you need can be found at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

Use their webform.
Call their office in Washington.
Call their local office.
Write, phone, fax, drop in in person.

Do all of the above. And if you already did it, then do it again!

Your personal action is urgently needed or this bill WILL PASS!

IF THAT HAPPENS, KISS YOUR ACCESS TO PUBLIC LANDS GOODBYE.

ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

We've recently learned about a relatively new website where people and organizations can weigh in to Support or Oppose any legislation and send their opinion to congress. The site is PopVox, you can go to it at THIS LINK.
If you type HR 5204 into the PopVox search box, you will be able to see what organizations support and oppose it. Then click on View Report and Comments, and you'll see that opposition from individuals is, as of this writing, running 9-to-1 AGAINST HR 5204, and that the opposition is nationwide.
The site allows you to vote and enter a comment only if you register, because it tallies votes by congressional district. It's not a discussion forum, it's a place where citizens can provide the kind of information that elected officials want in order to best serve their constituents.
Your comments will be posted anonymously, but your member of congress receives them by email with your full name and address included so that they know you are a real constituent and they can respond.
The PopVox site looks like a good way to record and amplify your voice in opposition to HR 5204, and we encourage you to check it out!

The Western Slope No-Fee Coalition is a broad-based organization consisting of diverse interests including hiking, biking, boating, equestrian and motorized enthusiasts, community groups, local and state elected officials, conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, and just plain citizens.

Our goals are:

To eliminate recreation fees for general access to public lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
To eliminate backcountry fees and interpretive program fees in National Parks
To require more accountability within the land management agencies
To encourage Congress to adequately fund our public lands

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Kitty Benzar
Western Slope No Fee Coalition