Springtime, when our thoughts turn to…Snowmobiles
RtE Continues Fight to Ban Snowmobiles from National Parks

Created in 1872 as our first National Park, Yellowstone National Park remains a crown jewel in the National Park System, along with its sister Grand Teton National Park. The pristine and naturally wild environment of these parks is unique and arguably without equal. This is especially true during winter months, when the impressive natural beauty of the parks is enhanced by the peace and tranquility of the frosty setting.

Over the past four decades the increasing numbers of snowmobiles using the Parks - from 1,000 visits in 1963-64 to over 76,000 visits in 1999-2000 - tarnished these treasures with dirty air, inescapable noise pollution and congestion. After a decade of study, in 2001 the Clinton Administration National Park Service issued regulations that would have phased out snowmobiles by the 2003-2004 winter use season.

Settling a lawsuit brought by snowmobile manufacturers, and as part of a series of environmental rollbacks, the Bush Administration cancelled implementation of the 2001 regulations and issued a new regulation in September 2004 that would allow for continued excessive, even increased, used of snowmobiles in the Parks.

Ongoing lawsuits struck down that regulation, and in 2004 the National Park Service issued a Temporary Use Plan that would remain in effect while a new round of Winter Use Plan development rolled on. Unfortunately, the National Park Service's Temporary Use Plan allowed the continued excessive use of snowmobiles in the Parks - up to 720 per day in Yellowstone and 140 per day in Grand Teton (and the connecting John D. Rockefeller Memorial Highway). This results in major negative impacts to air and water quality and visibility, as well as park staff and visitor health. It also means that excessive noise pollution will continue - under this plan, over 12,000 acres of the Parks will have audible motorized noise more than 50% of the time. And it also means the continued disturbance and harassment of wildlife, such as bison, at a time when individual animals are especially challenged for survival.

So why discuss this issue now? The National Park Service took a major step forward toward new Winter Use regulations for the 2007-2008 winter use season with the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public comment on Monday, April 2.

Not surprisingly, the DEIS concludes that the 2004 Temporary Use Plan is working just fine, thank you, and should be continued in the future. The National Park Service documents are available here, and the public can also comment at that site. The public and Rock the Earth have until May 31, 2007 to comment on the DEIS, and we intend to do so. This has been an important issue for Rock the Earth since its inception, and we will continue to vigorously oppose this Administration's efforts to keep these unique national treasures open to snowmobiles.

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