H.R. 1084: Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act

The Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act (HR 1084) proposes modifications to existing legislation related to ski areas on National Forest System land. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements of the bill:

Establishment of the Ski Area Fee Retention Account

The bill creates a new account called the Ski Area Fee Retention Account, which will be established by the Secretary of the Treasury. This account will hold rental charges collected from ski area permits.

Collected Fees

Any ski area permit rental charges collected will be deposited into the Ski Area Fee Retention Account. The funds will be available for use without needing additional appropriations by Congress, remaining accessible for four fiscal years after they are deposited.

Distribution of Funds

There are specific rules on how the funds in the account can be used:

• Local Expenditures: 80% of the rental charges collected from a specific ski area will be spent at that ski area. Of this, 75% will go towards activities that support ski area operations and projects, while 25% will be used for other specified activities.
• Agency-Wide Expenditures: 20% of the collected rental fees can be used across the National Forest System for similar activities, as permitted.

Allowed Expenditures

The bill specifies various permissible uses for these funds, primarily focusing on:

• Administration of the Forest Service ski area program, including processing applications for new areas or improvements.
• Staff training for managing ski area permits and projects.
• Visitor services, safety signage, and information activities.
• Direct costs of collecting the rental charges.
• Wildfire response planning and reduction activities in ski areas and adjacent sites.
• Maintenance and enhancement of visitor facilities, habitat restoration, law enforcement related to recreation, and construction of parking.

Limitations on Use

The funds from the Ski Area Fee Retention Account cannot be used for:

• Wildfire suppression efforts.
• Acquisition of land for National Forest System inclusion.

Other Provisions

The bill also ensures that the establishment of the Ski Area Fee Retention Account does not affect the Granger-Thye Act's applicability to ski areas, guarantees that these rental charges will supplement existing appropriations for ski area operations, and clarifies that the bill does not alter any cost recovery processes related to ski area permits.

Effective Date

The provisions of this bill will take effect 60 days after it becomes law.

Relevant Companies

• MTN (Vail Resorts, Inc.) - This company operates ski resorts and could see changes in its fee structure as a result of the bill's provisions regarding ski area permits and associated rental fees.
• SKI (Ski Resorts) - Similar to Vail Resorts, companies in this category may also be affected by how permit rental charges are managed and invested in their facilities and operations.