Kilmer Statement on $5 Per Car National Park Entry Fee Increase
Today, the Department of the Interior announced it would raise entry fees at most National Parks by $5 per car. This is a major reversal of the Administration’s initial plan, which proposed tripling entry fees at the 17 most popular National Parks, including Olympic National Park. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), the original sponsor of the National Park Service Legacy Act made the following statement:
“It is good news that park visitors and local economies are going to be spared from outrageous fee hikes. Today’s news is a testament to the power of the folks in our region who used their voices to speak out against the Administration’s initial proposal,” Rep. Derek Kilmer said. “Raising park fees won’t do anything to address the $11 billion park maintenance backlog. The National Park Service Legacy Act will. Congress should pass it so generations of Americans can fully enjoy our National Parks.”
Yesterday, Kilmer raised this issue with Secretary Ryan Zinke at a hearing covering the Department of the Interior’s budget. Zinke said he was, “very supportive of any mechanism that would address a backlog.”
The National Park Service Legacy Act would generate dedicated funding for park maintenance over the next 50 years. The amount of funds would be scaled in the following way:
- $50 million a year in fiscal years 2018-20.
- $150 million a year in fiscal 2021-23.
- $250 million a year in fiscal 2024-26.
- $500 million a year in fiscal 2027-47.
The National Park Service Legacy Act would address the backlog by distributing revenue the government receives from oil and gas royalties back into a restoration fund. It has been endorsed by the National Parks Conservation Association, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Late last year, the Department of the Interior proposed a plan to almost triple the fee for visitors to enter the national parks from $25 per car to $70 in order to pay for maintenance. It announced today that the fees would only increase by $5 per car.
Kilmer opposed the original fee hike. He led events in Washington state to encourage his constituents to weigh in against the proposal during the public comment period. According to The Seattle Times, raising park fees would do little to reduce the maintenance backlog.
According to the National Park Service, in 2016 the 3,390,221 people who visited Olympic National Park spent $286,786,300 in communities near the park. That spending supported 3,842 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $398,689,900.
The same study found that for every $1 dollar invested in the National Park Service, an estimated $10 are returned to the nation’s economy. And, it’s estimated that the 331 million visitors to the nation’s national parks spend $18.4 billion in communities within 60 miles of a national park.