Wnited States Senate WASHINGTON, DC 20610 October 31, 2017 The Honorable Ryan Zinke Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, D.C, 20240 Dear Mr, Secretary: We write today in response to the National Park Service’s proposal to sharply inerease entrance fees at 17 of our most iconie national parks across the United States — including at Shenandoah National Park in our home state of Virginia, These fee increases, many of which are two-to-three times that of current levels, could price out many of our constituents and other individuals and families across the country from visiting these national treasures. We urge you to reconsider these dramatic fee increases and recommend that you pursue altemative pathways to raise revenue at the Park Service to reduce the growing maintenance backlog. We wholeheartedly agree that significant steps must be taken to address the maintenance backlog, at the Patk Service, which is currently estimated at $11.3 billion. However, we do not believe that shifting the burden to our park visitors in the form of significant fee increases is an appropriate or practical way to reduce the deferred maintenance backlog. In fact, the Park Service has estimated that the fee increases, once implemented, would only increase park revenue by $70 million per year. Even if this additional revenue was allocated solely to address the maintenance backlog, it would only represent a fraction of the Park Service's deferred maintenance needs in Virginia ($750.6 million), much less the nationwide total. At the same time, the proposed fee increases could dramatically impact the ability of individuals to access these lands. Under your proposal, the peak-season entrance fee would be $70 per private, non-commercial vehicle, $50 per motorcycle, and $30 per individual person. To access Shenandoah National Park, individuals would face a threefold increase in the price of admittance from $10 to $30, while the fee for motorcyclists would more than double from $20 to $50, and individuals with ate vehicles would face a $35 increase. If these fee increases were to go into effect, it would have a significant impact on the ability of our constituents and other visitors to access one of Virginia’s most beautiful and cherished areas. Here in the Senate, we have partnered with a bipartisan group of our colleagues to introduce legislation that would reduce the $11.3 billion maintenance backlog at the Park Service in a fiscally responsible way that would not shift the cost burden to park goers. Our bill, the National Park Service Legacy Act of 2017, would help eradicate the maintenance backlog at the Park Service by establishing a dedicated fund at the U.S. Treasury — named the “National Park Service Legacy Fund” ~ that would direct revenues from mineral royalties that are not otherwise designated by law to other purposes toward high-priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service, Over the next 30 years, this fund will provide more than $1 billion todeferred maintenance projects, addressing the highest priority areas as identified by the Park elf. The bill also includes a philanthropic component that prioritizes projects that can receive private matching dollars. ‘This bipartisan legislation would help repair and restore the aging and deteriorating infrastructure of our national parks and ensure that these treasure are preserved for future generations to enjoy. It would allow the Park Service to reduce its maintenance backlog without having to significantly increase the cost of admittance for visitors of our national parks. We urge you to ‘withdraw your proposal that would dramatically increase entrance fees at 17 national parks across the nation and encourage you to support our legislation that would create a dedicated fund to address the maintenance backlog issue at the National Park Service. Thank you for your consideration, We look forward to your response. Sincerely, =?) Mfck. CMe jar /Z-, Mark R. Warner Tim Kaine United States Senator United States Senator