In an effort to maintain the peace and quiet national
parks are known for, Rep. David Skaggs, D-Colo., has introduced a
bill giving the Park Service more control over who flies over its
lands. His National Park Scenic Overflights Concessions Act gives
power to the secretary of the Interior and the Park Service to
regulate sightseeing flights just as they manage other private
concessions. Scott Groene with the Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance says Skaggs’ bill is a welcome tool for addressing the
proliferation of helicopters and planes in the backcountry. But Jay
Chamberlain of the National Parks Conservation Association says the
bill has problems. By treating air tours as just another
concession, he says, the bill doesn’t give the Park Service a
chance to say “no” to the tour operators. “Once a concession is
established, they are very hard to remove,” says Chamberlain.
Current law requires parks to give preferential rights to the
businesses they permit, making them almost permanent
fixtures.
* Shea
Andersen
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Parks may get control of their air.
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