Tourists frustrated by the growing number of National Park Service properties refusing to accept cash have an ally in Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
The Wyoming Republican plans to introduce legislation Thursday that would require the service to take entrance fees in dollars and cents, nipping the cashless trend at sites, including Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
“The beauty of our nation’s parks should be open to all visitors, not just those with credit or debit cards,” Ms. Lummis said in a statement.
“Wyoming takes immense pride in our state’s natural treasures, and accepting cash payments allows people from the Cowboy State and around the world access to our indescribable landscapes,” she added.
The Protecting Access to Recreation with Cash (PARC) Act was shared first with The Washington Times.
Ms. Lummis added that “I’m proud to lead the charge to make our National Parks accessible to everyone.”
At least 25 NPS units have gone cashless in recent years in the name of streamlining operations and reducing waiting times, and more are expected to follow.
“Moving to a cashless system allows parks to be better stewards of visitor dollars by reducing the amount of time park staff spend managing cash, increasing the amount of fee revenue available to support critical projects and visitor services, improving accountability, and reducing risk,” said the service in a 2024 statement.
Three would-be visitors sued last year after being refused admission for trying to pay in cash instead of credit or debit cards, but a judge dismissed their lawsuit last month, saying that they lacked standing.
Undeterred, Toby Stover of High Falls, New York, filed an amended complaint March 4 in federal court, saying she was refused entry to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Home in Hyde Park last year for seeking to pay with a $10 bill.
“Toby Stover still wants to visit Hyde Park whenever she wants but will not do so if she continues to be denied her right to tender anything other than legal U.S. Currency,” said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The complaint filed against the Interior Department and NPS argued that the “U.S. Constitution gives Congress, not the banks, and most certainly not defendants, the authority to determine what is lawful money.”
Ms. Lummis, who introduced a similar bill in 2023, argued that cash is reliable, universal, more secure, and “consistent with small government principles.”
“The government should not interfere in the lives of citizens more than necessary,” said her office in a press release. “By requiring visitors to pay with credit or debit, the government is effectively forcing them to use a particular form of payment.”
The bill is being cosponsored by six other Republican senators: Roger Marshall of Kansas; John Boozman of Arizona; Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, and Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice of West Virginia.
