Why It Matters: For years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has collected recreation fees at most public-use facilities on Corps properties around the country, including boat ramps. Instead of using those fees for the upkeep or improvement of those boating access sites, the fees have been diverted to the general treasury of the United States. Congressmen Westerman, Huffman, and Womack recently introduced the LAKES Act, which will ensure a majority of the fees collected from anglers and other visitors will go back to that particular water project to enhance their recreational experiences.
Highlights:
- The Corps of Engineers began charging fees for the use of public facilities on Corps water projects in 1994 with the expectation that those fees would return to the facility for maintenance and improvements. However, that has not been the case.
- A remedy supported by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) was initially included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 that would have returned 80% of fees collected to those facilities from which they came, but the provision was eventually removed for procedural reasons.
- Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Rep. Bruce Westerman and CSC Members Rep. Jared Huffman and Rep. Steve Womack recently reintroduced the measure as a standalone bill in the House, known as the LAKES Act.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is one of the largest federal providers of public outdoor recreation in the nation, responsible for around 257,000 facilities at more than 400 lake and river projects across 43 states. Yet, unlike fees charged by the Department of Interior or Department of Agriculture at similar recreation facilities under their jurisdictions, the Corps does not have the legal authority to retain a portion of the fees they collect for infrastructure improvements at those public facilities.
In the 2022 Water Resources Development Act, a CSF-supported provision that would have allowed up to 80% of Corps-collected fees to remain at local facilities was eventually removed from the bill due to procedural reasons. Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Representative Bruce Westerman and CSC Members Representative Jared Huffman and Representative Steve Womack are charting a new course in the House with the recent reintroduction of that provision as standalone legislation. The bill, known as the Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong (LAKES Act), will rectify the discrepancy between federal recreation providers by enabling recreation sites and facilities under Corps jurisdiction to retain 80% of recreation fees collected at a particular location for its operation and maintenance. Of note is that the bill ensures these fees will supplement, not diminish, existing funding for these facilities, allowing the Corps to deliver on promises originally made to project visitors when they began implementing the fees in 1994.
“As a young state agency fisheries biologist beginning my career shortly after the implementation of these Corps use fees, I heard a lot of complaints from anglers about the new fees,” said CSF’s Senior Director of Fisheries Policy, Chris Horton. “At the time, even local Corps officials assumed the funds would be used to improve the local facilities and the overall experience for visitors. We applaud Congressmen Westerman, Huffman, and Womack in their efforts to see that is finally the case.”
CSF looks forward to working with Congressmen Westerman, Huffman, and Womack in the House, as well as Senators Cramer and Heinrich on their companion bill in the Senate, to provide the Corps with the ability to utilize revenues generated by anglers, boaters, and recreational visitors where it belongs – locally.
