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WASHINGTON — The National Park Service is being sued for going cashless at 30 parks and monuments, including Hovenweep National Monument and Natural Bridges National Monument.
Three people are behind the lawsuit, Van der Werf et al v. National Park Service. They allege that the National Park Service's actions are unlawful because of a U.S. Code that states cash and coins are legal tender for all public charges.
"The entrance to a national park is a public charge," said Ray Flores, the plaintiffs' attorney. "So for a national agency not to accept its own currency, to me, is unlawful. Hopefully, the court will see it the same way."
Those who have inquired about alternatives were told they could buy a gift card instead of cash. However, Flores says many Americans are bankless or under-banked. He thinks the policy excludes them, or forces them to pay fees for gift cards or another method of payment, when they may not be able to afford.
"The U.S. government, in my opinion, is not free to have the cashless policy, whereas individual businesses have the right to do so, at least as it stands right now," Flores asserted.
Flores claims they are not seeking any money for the lawsuit, but they simply want to see the policy changed. He says the U.S. government needs to respond to the lawsuit by May 16.
