HR 5204
"To amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to improve recreation opportunities and increase consistency and accountability in the collection and expenditure of recreation fees collect...
Forum Discussion
darsben wrote:
you know if you had done a simple search for HR 5204 you would have found an established thread.
SEARCH IS YOUR FRIEND
http://forums.motorhomemagazine.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27917297.cfm
How about just continuing the discussion on the alredy established thread
darsben wrote:
It is a BS bill that is given less than a 7% chance of passing he house. There is no corresponding senate bill.
Personally, I'm glad it posted here as well since a public lands issue doesn't seem to be well placed in "RV Parks, Campgrounds, and Attractions" to me. I also admit that I never do a search on new posts to see if there is an existing thread. I don't look at all the different forum posts and perhaps I should, but I don't stay in campgrounds and RV parks, and I seldom am looking for an attraction so finding that referenced post of yours would go unnoticed to me. Since the public lands forum isn't well read, this seems a good place to discuss.
If you think this legislation doesn't have a chance of passing, I agree it's unlikely on it's own, but what if it's attached to another bill as is expected? I'm quite sure this will be the result as it happened long before this bill was introduced...
The above sign is in the Coronado National Forest. Here is what they say about fees...
"What would happen if you didn't charge fees?
Most facilities on National Forests were built many years ago. For example, many Sabino Canyon facilities are 30-50 years old; some were even built in the 1930s. Most of these facilities need repair or replacement and were not built to handle current volumes of visitation (about 1.3 million visitors in Sabino Canyon every year). If we don't start repairing and replacing these facilities, we will have to remove them or close areas. Unfortunately, Congressional appropriations for recreation operations and maintenance are declining. Pass receipts won't meet all our needs, so other resources such as partnerships, grants and volunteer assistance remain critical in helping to meet total needs."
As far as the US Forest Service is concerned, it all about money if you read the last sentence. How in the world did the National Park Service/US Forest Service/BLM get all that stuff built way back when without additional fees? I think most folks will agree now-a-days congress will look for any way possible to fund public lands, including user fees, closing areas, and as previously proposed by HR 1126 in 2011 just selling off assets rather than providing adequate funding.
