(a) A historical operator will have a right to continue to provide visitor services in a park area under appropriate terms and conditions contained in a visitor services authorization issued by the Director as long as such services are determined by the Director to be consistent with the purposes for which the park area was established. A historical operator may not operate without such an authorization. The authorization will be for a fixed term. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the authorization will result in cancellation of the authorization and consequent loss of historical operator rights under this subpart.

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(b) Nothing in this subpart will prohibit the Director from permitting persons in addition to historical operators to provide visitor services in park areas at the Director’s discretion as long as historical operators are permitted to conduct a scope and level of visitor services equal to those provided before January 1, 1979, under terms and conditions consistent with this subpart. A historical operator may be permitted by the Director under separate authority to increase the scope or level of visitor services provided prior to January 1, 1979, but no historical operating rights will be obtained in such increase.

(c) If a historical operator applies for a visitor services authorization in the form of a joint venture, the application will not be considered as validly made unless the historical operator demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Director, that it has the controlling interest in the joint venture.

(d) A historical operator may apply to the Director for an authorization or amended authorization to provide visitor services similar to those it provided before January 1, 1979. The Director will grant the request if such visitor services are determined by the Director to be:

(1) Consistent with the protection of park resources and the purposes for which the park area was established;

(2) Similar in kind and scope to the visitor services provided by the historical operator before January 1, 1979; and

(3) Consistent with the legal rights of any other person.

(e) When a historical operator’s visitor services authorization expires, and if the applicable visitor services continue to be consistent with the purposes for which the park area was established as determined by the Director, the Director will offer to renew the authorization for a fixed term under such new terms and conditions as the Director determines are in the public interest.

(f) If the Director determines that authorized visitor services must be curtailed or reduced in scope, level, or season to protect park resources, or for other purposes, the Director will require the historical operator to make such changes in visitor services. If more than one historical operator providing the same type of visitor services is required to have those services curtailed, the Director will establish a proportionate reduction of visitor services among all such historical operators, taking into account historical operating levels and other appropriate factors so as to achieve a fair curtailment of visitor services among the historical operators. If the level of visitor services must be so curtailed that only one historical operator feasibly may continue to provide the visitor services, the Director will select one historical operator to continue to provide the curtailed visitor services through a competitive selection process.

(g) Any of the following will result in loss of historical operator status:

(1) Revocation of an authorization for historic types and levels of visitor services for failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the authorization.

(2) A historical operator’s declination of a renewal of the authorization made pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section.

(3) A change in the controlling interest of the historical operator through sale, assignment, devise, transfer, or by any other means, direct or indirect. A change in the controlling interest of a historical operator that results only in the acquisition of the controlling interest by an individual or individuals who were personally engaged in the visitor services activities of the historical operator before January 1, 1979, will not be deemed a change in the historical operator’s controlling interest for the purposes of this subpart.

(4) A historical operator’s failure to provide the authorized services for more than 24 consecutive months.

(h) The Director may authorize other persons to provide visitor services in a park area in addition to historical operators.