National forests would be able to retain a portion of annual fees paid by ski areas operating on forest service lands under a bipartisan, bicameral bill offered on Feb. 6 by U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT).
“Our local government knows how to responsibly steward our resources, and the SHRED Act will help us do just that,” Rep. Moore said. “By allowing the annual fees paid by ski areas to be used for maintenance and improvements, we can ensure these funds directly benefit Utah and other western states.”
The congressman introduced the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development (SHRED) Act, H.R. 1084, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), while U.S. Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the identical S. 472 in the Senate.
If enacted, the SHRED Act would establish a framework for local national forests to retain a portion of ski fees to offset increased recreational use and support local ski permit and program administration, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
Additionally, the bill would provide the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) with the flexibility to direct resources where they are needed the most, the summary says.
“The SHRED Act ensures revenue generated by Colorado’s world-renowned ski areas stays in these rural and mountain communities,” said Rep. Neguse. “I am proud to continue leading the effort to keep ski fees local, reinvest in our national forests, and support the outdoor recreation economy and critical locally-led initiatives.”
Specifically, the bill would establish a Ski Area Fee Retention Account to retain the fees that ski areas pay to the USFS. For national forests that generate ski fees, 80 percent of those fees are available for authorized uses at the local national forest. The remaining 20 percent of those fees would be available to assist any national forest with winter or broad recreation needs.
In each forest, 75 percent of the retained funds are directly available to support the USFS Ski Area Program and permitting needs, process proposals for ski area improvement projects, provide information for visitors and prepare for wildfire.
Under the bill, any excess funds would be directed to other national forests with winter or broad recreation needs, the summary says.
The legislation is supported by Ski Utah, the National Ski Area Association and its 124-member ski areas operating on public lands, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Brighton Ski Resort, Alta Ski Resort, Snow Basin Ski Resort, Solitude Ski Resort, the Colorado Association of Ski Towns, the America Outdoors Association, Vail Resorts, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.