Estes Park official likes fee-hike delay

The Interior Department has backed off its plan to more than double entry fees at the nation’s 17 most popular national parks after more than 100,000 people commented on the plan, most of them opposed to the idea.

And that’s how it should work, said Estes Park Mayor Todd Jirsa, whose city sits at the entrance Rocky Mountain National Park, where the cost of entry was proposed to jump to $70 from $20.

“I am pleased that is looks like the federal government is actually listening to the people; that is how it should work,” Jirsa said. “I am also encouraged that it seems like the (DOI) is still trying to address the $11 billion maintenance backlog that we have in our national parks. This is a great thing for our town.”

In October, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke proposed raising entrance fees during the peak seasons of the busiest parks, June 1 to the end of October at Rocky Mountain National Park. The increase was to create revenue for the backlog of deferred maintenance.

“The plan is still being reviewed and not yet finalized. During the public comment period the National Park Service received more than 109,000 comments. We’ve taken the public’s suggestions seriously and have amended the plan to reflect those,” a DOI spokesperson said.

Two bills in Congress have been introduced to address the maintenance backlog using royalties from federal onshore and offshore energy production.