News Blip:
Zinke Says ‘Too Many People Get In Free’ to National Parks
The Hill Reports On Interior Secretary Zinke's Statement Before The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee To Defend His Stance On Increasing National Park Entrance Fees.
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through The Hill's website.
The Washington, DC, based political paper, The Hill, reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week, defending his plan to increase the entrance fees for national parks. According to The Hill, Zinke said the fees needed to go up because “too many people get in for free.” He singled out discounted or free passes to the elderly, fourth graders, veterans, and the disabled as negatively impacting park revenues.
Fees are currently between $25 and $30 per vehicle at the country’s busiest national parks like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite and Zion National Park. Other parks are much lower, or free. Zinke’s proposal would raise the top fee to $70 per car during the five-month peak season at 17 US national parks. The Secretary of the Interior said he is also looking at charging each individual an entrance fee rather than a single fee per car. Seniors used to be able to buy a lifetime pass for $10 but that price has been raised to $80. Active military and those with permanent disabilities receive a free annual pass, a policy that Zinke does not plan to change. An annual pass for non-seniors currently costs $80. A recent poll found that nearly 68 percent of Americans were less likely to visit a national park if the fees increased.
To read the entire article written by Morgan Gstalter from The Hill, click here.