As he promised in January, U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings introduced a bill Friday to change the fee structure that applies to cabin owners on National Forest lands.

The bill would set up a tiered, yearly fee structure based on current appraisals and tied to increases in inflation. It would replace the existing system, which Hastings said is volatile and based on subjective appraisals.

Cabin owners have complained that they've been subject to sharp spikes in fees that, if allowed to continue, would force some families to abandon and tear down their cabins.

"Generations of Americans have enjoyed the recreational use of family-owned cabins in our National Forests," Hastings, a Republican from Pasco, said in a news release.

"For many, these cabins provide unique access to some of our most precious federal lands, which should not be a luxury only enjoyed by the wealthy but by all Americans."

The legislation is H.R. 4888, the Cabin Fee Act of 2010, and is co-sponsored by several other Western members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans.

Under current law, appraisals compare the forest land to private property without consideration for the limits and restrictions on the use of the cabins. As a result, fees under the law have jumped by more than 500 percent a year.

The Forest Service leases land under the cabins for a yearly fee of 5 percent of fair market value, on renewable, transferable 20-year contracts. The agency regulates paint color and size, and owners must let the public onto the land for camping and hiking.

The practice dates to 1915 when the Forest Service, using a lottery system, invited private cabins into remote areas, particularly in the West. In Washington and Oregon, there are about 2,800 cabins. In Yakima County, there are an estimated 253 cabin owners.

Environmental and free-market critics have called the leases sweetheart deals. According to Hastings' office, cabins around Lake Wenatchee have seen annual lease fees spike from $1,400 to more than $17,000.