Dunes fees, done deal.

That's according to U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., who in frustration notified people within his district Friday that language to make permanent pilot fees on federal lands had been inserted into the massive U.S. budget bill.

"They're basically doing some backroom horse trading," said DeFazio, who has opposed the Fee Demonstration Project since its inception in 1996.

The overdue $388 billion bill will fund three-quarters of the federal government's operations for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.

It's not unusual for lawmakers to slip unrelated legislation into such bills. But DeFazio said the fee issue is distressing because it didn't go through the full hearings process in committees. Lawmakers opposing the fees were told the language wouldn't be removed by the Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Frank Regula, R-Ohio. Regula was the lawmaker who originally presented the idea.

The U.S. Forest Service Deputy District Ranger, Bill Blackwell, who in part oversees the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, said Friday he was unaware the fee legislation was slated for a vote.

Blackwell said the fees have benefited the Siuslaw National Forest's coastal forest and dune lands from North Bend to Waldport. Visitors paid $1.2 million in fees over the past year and $1.1 million went back into construction projects, maintenance and staff funding. Even so, Blackwell said, some people still complain about the fees.

"I'm sure most people would prefer not to pay it, but they're willing to pay it if they see where the work is done," he said.

On a larger scale, DeFazio expressed frustration with the spending bill overall, characterizing it as a rushed deal. The document that likely will number into the thousands of pages was expected to go to vote earlier today.

"No one's being allowed to read it before we vote on it," he said.

In the rush to finish their work, DeFazio said, lawmakers are waiving rules, such as those requiring 24-hour notice prior to a vote and reviews in the House and Senate.

- City Editor Elise Hamner