BLUERIBBON
COALITION NEWS RELEASE
4555
Burley Drive, Suite A
Pocatello,
ID 83202
Contact:
Bill Dart, Public Lands Director (208) 237-1008 ext. 102
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Snowmobile
Use Will Be Permitted on New Clean Quiet Snowmobiles
December
11, 2003 (POCATELLO, IDAHO)
The
National Park Service has today published in the Federal Register the final
rule for winter use of Yellowstone National Park, as well as nearby Grand
Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway.
As expected, the final rule is consistent with the previously published
Final Environmental Impact Statement, and snowmobile use will be allowed, but
under new restrictions on the numbers of snowmobiles allowed, the types of
snowmobiles allowed, and requirements for the majority of snowmobiles to be
part of a commercially guided group.
“We
are extremely pleased that the National Park Service agrees with us that a
snowmobile is a wonderful and appropriate way to visit Yellowstone and Grand
Teton National Parks during the winter” stated BlueRibbon Coalition
President Jack Welch. “Many
people feel they are more beautiful in the winter than any other time of the
year, and a snowmobile allows an unmatched opportunity to truly experience
winter in the park” Welch added.
“Air
quality and sound level issues have been more than adequately addressed by the
new plan, and all winter visitors to these magnificent national treasures can
be assured of a wonderful visit to the parks this winter”, according to
BlueRibbon Coalition Public Lands Director Bill Dart.
“The new regulations also include provisions for extensive monitoring
and adaptive management that we feel confident will prove that snowmobile use
will not be harmful to wildlife, human health, air quality, or the soundscape
of these parks” Dart concludes.
Under
the new management plan and final rules, the National park service is
requiring that new cleaner and quieter snowmobile designs be used by
commercial outfitter/guides and that these will constitute 80% of the
snowmobiles allowed in the park. Next
winter, all snowmobiles must meet the stringent emissions standards the park
Service has adopted. These
standards are much more stringent than federal EPA standards that will go into
effect nationally in 2006, and call for a minimum 90% reduction of hydrocarbon
emissions over traditional 2-stroke models.
Additionally, the NPS has adopted maximum sound level standards far
below federal standards
The
numbers of snowmobiles allowed in these parks will also be reduced over
historic levels. Only 950
snowmobiles per day will be allowed into Yellowstone from all entrances, with
550 per day allowed from the most popular entrance through West Yellowstone,
Montana. This is less than half
of the historic weekend visitation numbers.
In
spite of the stringent new standards, legal challenges to all winter
visitation by snowmobiles, as well as snowcoaches, are pending in the federal
court system. A hearing on two
separate filings will be held on Monday, December 15, and a decision on
whether the park will open to snowmobiles on December 17 as planned is likely.
One suit asks for all snowmobile use to be banned, while the other
lawsuit seeks elimination of all snow grooming, which would stop the use of
snowcoaches, and end visitation to all of the most popular park interior
attractions.
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Additional
information on this release and/or other BlueRibbon media releases are
available on our website at http://www.sharetrails.org/MediaReleases/index.cfm
The
BlueRibbon Coalition is a national non-profit organization dedicated to
promoting responsible recreation, equal opportunity and recreation access to
all. The BlueRibbon Coalition works to "Preserve our natural resources
FOR the public instead of FROM the public," and to promote cooperation
among the various user-groups.