39 



Mr. Chairman, the concessions monopoly has gone on for too 

 long. It is the right time for Congress to act favorably and pass leg- 

 islation to reform the Concessioner Pohcy Act of 1965. We are 

 happy to be here today in the hope that your subcommittee will 

 solve this problem. In the coming weeks, we look forward to assist- 

 ing you in your task in every appropriate way. Thank you for hold- 

 ing these hearings on two very good pieces of legislation. That con- 

 cludes my testimony. I will be happy to answer questions. 



Mr. Hansen. Thank you, Mr. Schatz; I appreciate your com- 

 ments. Mr. Chandler. 



STATEMENT OF WILLIAM CHANDLER, DIRECTOR OF 

 CONSERVATION POLICY, NATIONAL PARKS AND CONSERVA- 

 TION ASSOCIATION 



Mr. Chandler. Thank you and good morning, Mr. Chairman. It 

 is a pleasure for me to appear before you again today to testify on 

 behalf of national park concessions reform. I represent over 

 450,000 citizen members of the National Parks and Conservation 

 Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection 

 and betterment of the National Park System. 



As documented and recommended by numerous government 

 studies as well as by business operators knowledgeable about the 

 concessions industry whom you will hear from today, concessions 

 reform is necessary to terminate taxpayer subsidies to an industry 

 that simply does not need them. 



Reform is critical to enable all interested parties to fairly com- 

 pete for contracts, to ensure that reasonable fees are paid for the 

 use of taxpayer assets, to enhance the quality of visitor services, 

 and to dedicate concessions revenues to our parks. 



Although it has been alleged, Mr. Chairman, that NPCA has a 

 hidden agenda to "kick concessioners out of the parks", this is not 

 true now, nor has it ever been true. NPCA became involved in con- 

 cessions reform at the direction of its Board of Trustees over half 

 of whom are either businesspersons or employed by businesses 

 throughout this country. 



Frankly, our Board was appalled by the anticompetitive nature 

 of standing park concessions policy and the liability it puts on the 

 backs of the taxpayers, and they determined to change it. We do 

 believe, Mr. Chairman, that concessions should be run by the pri- 

 vate sector, and I want to make that perfectly clear here as well. 

 We do not favor Federal operation of concessions. 



However, we also believe that the best way to select a park con- 

 cessioner is through fair, open competition. Frankly, we believe 

 that is the only issue before this committee today or it should be 

 the only issue before this committee today, and that is how to se- 

 cure fair and open competition. 



Of the freestanding measures pending before this committee, 

 H.R. 773 and H.R. 2028, we recommend passage of the Meyers bill 

 because we believe it most effectively addresses all of the problems 

 identified with current park concessions policy and most closely ad- 

 heres to free market competitive principles. 



As a whole, we are concerned that H.R. 2028 would not promote 

 fair competition for park concessions contracts, and it would re- 

 place some of the preferences enjoyed by existing incumbents with 



