AgdaPkt 2004-04-26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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�� 1 i � ■ � ■ ■ �� . �1��-3 � � FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Howard Gantman Wednesday, March 10, 2004 i or Scott Gerber 202/324-9629 htto://feinsteinsenate � Feinstein Urges Interior Secretarv Norton to Exnlain High Pronosed Fees for Hetch Hetchv Reservoir Washington, DC — In a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Nnrton relea�ed today, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) requested an explanation for the dramatic increase in the proposed rental fee that�San Francisco pays the Interior Department for the City's management of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Under the Raker Act, San Francisco is required to pay $30,000 rent for the Yosemite National Park reservoir. However, President Bush's proposed Fiscal Year 2005 budget calls for a payment of �8 million. Last year, San Francisco paid far more than its "" required payment — a total of $1.9 million in fees for security and watershed protection and almost $1 mi(lion in additional in-kind support. T/se text of Senator Feinstein 's letter on February 23 jollows: "I write to express my concern over the Department of the Interior's proposal in the President's Fiscal Yeaz 2005 budget to impose an$8 million annual "rental" payment on the City of San Francisco for Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park, and to ask that you personally evaluate the situation. Despite repeatedrequests by my staff, we have been unable to date to obtain information on the dramatic increase in the proposed fee charged to the City. I understand that the San Francisco Public Utility Commission, which manages Hetch Hetchy,,Paid the Park Service $1.9 million last year for costs associate d with Hetch Hetch . Plea y se see the attached letter to the President from San Francisco May�r Gavin Newsom. . Also, the Public Utility Commission has offered the Park Service as much as 52.8 million this yearto cover additional security costs. The Commission was v waiting for a budget justi£cation from the Park fully detailing these funding needs.