House Panel Backs Raising National Park Entrance Fees

A House committee approved Republican legislation Thursday to raise fees at national parks, despite charges by Democratic critics that the increases unfairly target the elderly, poor families and youngsters.

The bill would remove the current cap on entrance fees, end a program that has allowed senior citizens to avoid fees and for the first time charge youngsters younger than 16.

“Someone with four kids is going to be priced out of the parks,” said Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.).

The legislation cleared the House Resources Committee by a 24-12 vote, largely along party lines.

Most fees are capped at $3 per person and $5 per carload at most of the 200 parks and monuments where fees are charged, Park Service spokesman David Barna said. An entry fee of $10 per carload is charged at Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.

The House bill would end the cap and shift most fees to a per-person basis. A family of four would pay $20 or more at many parks that now charge $5 a carload. The bill would scrap the Golden Age Passport, a lifetime entrance pass for seniors that costs $10. Senior citizens would pay regular fees.

“We’re trying to put some money into the hands of the Park Service,” said Rep. James V. Hansen (R-Utah).

In an attempt to blunt criticism, supporters agreed to take out of the bill provisions that would have imposed fees on the disabled and the blind, and decided against charging visitors for using bathroom facilities.