arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

U.S. "Fee Demo" Program and the Privatization of Public Land
by IMC-global Thursday August 30, 2001 at 10:30 AM

In the United States in 1996 a program called "fee demo" began as a "demonstration program" to encourage "private-public ventures" to "commercialize, privatize and motorize" recreational opportunities on the United States' public lands.

UNITED STATES: LOSING PUBLIC LAND Aug 29 2001
U.S. "Fee Demo" Program and the Privatization of Public Land

In the United States in 1996 a program called "fee demo" began as a "demonstration program" to encourage "private-public ventures" to "commercialize, privatize and motorize" recreational opportunities on the United States' public lands. The private recreation industry, particularly the American Recreation Coalition (ARC), backed this initiative. This situation is part of a general trend of privatizing public services that has been occuring during the last few U.S. presidential administrations, and the present Bush administration is in full support of it. Such actions follow a general on-going trend of enclosure of the commons going back into history over two hundred years.

After five years, fee demo has proven to be a failure, at least for the purposes that Congress and the American public were told it would serve. Yet the legislation may be extended another four years this September.

Economics of Fee Demo
A public- private cost share agreement between the US Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition has paid for a public relations campaign designed to convince the public that fee demo was created to provide funding for needed maintenance of National Forests. In reality, the majority of the fees collected are spent on administration, overhead, law enforcement, sales commissions and collection costs.

Ironically, although this "demonstration fee" is supposed to show how many Americans support the user fees, there is no tally of how many people refuse to pay the fees or who have stopped visiting pay-to-play forests. Essentially, each forest pass purchased is a vote for fee- demo and the money collected is used as evidence that the program has been successful in raising revenues and should therefore be made permanent.

Public Opposition
Along with the SierraClub, the Native Forest Council, American Lands Alliance and over 200 organizations, the State of Oregon came out against the imposition of these fees this past April when the Oregon Legislature passed the Forest Fee Elimination Measure, which resulted in the State of Oregon writing letters to President Bush, V.P. Cheney and others urging Congress to abolish the NW Forest Pass. Oregon joined California, New Hampshire and numerous counties and cities throughout America that have passed similar resolutions. Activists are encouraging citizens to petition Legislative Representatives to oppose the extension.

[ IMC-Portland's Forest Activism feature | Background at the Wild Wilderness Site | American Recreation Coalition's spin ]

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