Feinstein Wants Answer on Reservoir Rent

Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants the Bush administration to explain its proposal to dramatically increase the rent the city pays for the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park.

Feinstein, a Democrat, has sent a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton requesting an explanation for a proposed rent hike from the current $30,000 annually to $8 million a year proposed in President Bush’s 2005 budget. Last year, San Francisco paid nearly $3 million for security, watershed protection and other fees, even though the city is required to pay only the $30,000 rent, Feinstein said.