[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        A MORE RESPONSIBLE APPROACH TO NATIONAL PARK CONCESSIONS

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, many in Congress have known for years that 
the National Park Service must take a more business-like approach to 
the way the service contracts for private concessions to serve visitors 
to our national parks. Many in Congress have tried to forge 
improvements in that area, and, finally, we have before us a bill 
painstakingly molded in our Energy and Natural Resources Committee to 
make those improvements.
  I serve on that committee, and I am a cosponsor. I wish to recognize 
Senators Bumpers and Bennett, as well as the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the committee, for their intense and sincere efforts 
to craft policies in this bill that are fair, on the one hand, to the 
landlord--that is, American taxpayers--and, on the other hand, to the 
concessionaires. I believe a balance has been accomplished in that 
respect, and I will support this bill.
  I wanted also to note, while serving in the House of Representatives 
in 1991 and 1992 I headed a Task Force on Government Waste. Our task 
force found that the National Park Service's lease agreements and 
related fees were terribly inadequate in many cases, and we called for 
reasonable franchise fees to be collected.
  This bill will require a more competitive arena for those seeking to 
operate businesses within the National Parks, creating a system much 
closer to what occurs in the private sector. The increased fees will 
result from that competition instead of arbitrary levels set in 
Washington. Out of more than $650 million gross income of national 
parks concessionaires, the bill would increase rent to about $65 
million, compared to the $17 million collected last year. This rental 
income will be used where it should be--to maintain and improve the 
parks.
  I am pleased to see a recommendation of the Task Force on Government 
Waste up before this body for approval.
  At the same time that this bill would require more competitive rents 
from large concessionaires than are now collected, it is sensitive to 
the financial limitations of small family businesses and outfitters. 
The bill retains a preference for such businesses to renew their 
contracts with NPS if they are operating in an adequate fashion and 
serving the public well.
  In brief, I believe this bill directs the Park Service toward fair 
and proper treatment of the parks concessionaires and outfitters.

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