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NEWS & OPINION
Subcommittee Weighs Battle Over Snowmobile Use in National Parks
Posted: 4/13/2005
House Committee on Resources. Contact Matt Streit or Brian Kennedy at (202) 225-9019
Washington, DC - Subcommittee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) convened the Subcommittee on National Parks yesterday for an oversight hearing on snowmobile use in our national parks. A number of witness testified before the panel on the economic impact heavily restricting and even eliminating snowmobile use in national parks has on local communities that depend on the industries tourism.
"Our national parks were created for the enjoyment of the citizens of this country who own them," said Rep. Devin Nunes, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks. "I am confident that we can find ways to give the public access to public land in a responsible way that protects the parks and preserves the reason for which they were created. As a side benefit, it's clear by the testimony we heard today that recreation on public lands helps support the economy of surrounding communities."
The most notable conflict over snowmobile use in the National Park System (NPS) has occurred in Yellowstone National Park. A Clinton Administration ban on snowmobile access was overturned by the incoming Bush Administration in 2000. Since then, the decision and subsequent National Park Service Management Plans have permitted snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks despite the fact that the Administration's Rule continues to be litigated in two different District Courts.
Local communities that rely significantly on winter snowmobile use have been hard hit by recent rulemakings that have severely limited the number of snowmobiles permitted in the national parks.
A sign above Yellowstone National Park prominently displays the intent of the National Park System according to President Teddy Roosevelt himself. It states the park was created and is to be administered for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; that it is the property of Uncle Sam and therefore of us all.
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