The Mt. Bachelor ski area sign on Century Drive, seen here in October 2021.

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation that would let national forests retain a portion of annual fees paid by ski areas operating on U.S. Forest Service lands nationwide. Ski areas currently pay around $40 million annually to national forests.

If passed by Congress, the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development (SHRED) Act will establish a framework for local national forests to retain a portion of ski fees to offset the impacts of increased recreational use, giving them the flexibility to use resources as needed.

Fees from ski areas “currently go to the U.S. Treasury where they aren’t earmarked for any purpose. This bill would reinvest these fees to support recreation on national forests,” said Hank Stern, a spokesperson for Wyden.

Stern says if the bill passes, 75% of the fees would stay on the local forest and 25% could be used on any national forest, according to a statement from Wyden.

Most of Oregon’s ski resorts are located on national forest lands, including Mt. Bachelor ski area and Hoodoo Ski Area.

In the statement, Wyden said keeping recreation funds local will help Oregon address specific needs for wildfire mitigation, visitation impacts and housing shortages.

The bill proposes the establishment of a ski area fee retention account, which would retain fees that ski areas pay to the Forest Service.

A quarter of the retained funds would be available to support year-round local management and community needs, such as visitor services, trailhead improvements, facility maintenance and search and rescue activities.

The remaining 75% would be retained for winter recreation needs, including repair of U.S. Forest Service infrastructure related to travel and tourism. Funds would also be available to process proposals for ski area improvement projects.

Currently, there are 122 ski areas on national forests in the U.S., providing around 60% of the total capacity for downhill skiing in this country. Ski areas on the national forest system support around 64,000 full and part-time jobs.

The bi-partisan SHRED legislation was led by senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo). Wyden, a Democrat, was one of 10 senators to co-sponsor the bill.