Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act

The bill would amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to create a Ski Area Fee Retention Account in the Treasury. Ski area permit rental charges the Forest Service collects from ski operators on national forest land would be deposited into the account and made available to the Secretary of Agriculture without further appropriation, remaining usable for four fiscal years after collection.

Of the fees collected at a given national forest unit, 80% would generally be spent at that same unit — split 75%/25% between administrative and wildfire-related activities, and facility, habitat, or search-and-rescue activities — while the remaining 20% could be spent at any national forest unit. The Secretary could lower the local share to as low as 60% if the local unit's needs are met, redirecting the rest elsewhere. The funds could not pay for wildfire suppression or land acquisition, and must supplement rather than replace existing appropriated funding.

National forest units that host ski areas and their local staff, ski area operators who pay permit rental charges on Forest Service land, and visitors and communities near those forests who rely on facilities, trails, avalanche safety programs, and search-and-rescue services funded by the fees.

Forests with ski areas would gain a more predictable, locally retained funding stream for wildfire risk reduction, facility upkeep, and safety programs, rather than depending solely on annual appropriations. Because funds must supplement, not replace, existing budgets, the change is meant to add resources for ski-area-adjacent national forest operations without reducing other Forest Service funding.

The Treasury would establish the account, and the Forest Service would deposit ski area permit rental charges into it as they are collected at each national forest unit. Each fiscal year, the Secretary would determine whether a unit's reasonable needs justify the full 80% local retention share or a reduced share (down to 60%), redirecting any excess to other units. Retained funds would remain available for four fiscal years after deposit and must be spent only on the listed categories, such as permit administration, wildfire risk reduction, facility repair, and search and rescue, with reporting implicit through normal Forest Service budget administration.