The issue of snowmobiling in Yellowstone has been a complicated one- and it just took another twist.
In the final days of the Clinton administration in November of 2000, the National Park Service (NPS) proposed a plan to phase out snowmobiling in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks over the course of four years.
On June 25, 2002, about a year and a half after President Bush took office, the NPS unveiled a new plan to set aside the 2000 decision and redefine snowmobile use in the parks. The plan, that seemed to appease both sides, would allow a limited number of snowmobiles and would require cleaner and quieter 4-stroke models.
During the same week, on June 27, Rep. Rush Holt (D) of New Jersey and Rep. Christopher Shays (R) of Connecticut introduced the Yellowstone Protection Act, a bill that would effectively overrule the most recent NPS decision and codify the original 2000 rule.
"Congress created the National Park Service in 1916 to protect Yellowstone on behalf of the American people," said Rep. Holt in a statement. "It is now up to Congress to save Yellowstone."
Holt claimed bipartisan support for the bill as well. "We are here today not as Republicans and Democrats but as Americans who believe that we have a moral obligation to safeguard the world's oldest national park," Holt said.
Supporters of the bill claim that snowmobiles emit harmful pollutants and disrupt the solitude of the park. Snowmobile enthusiasts claim that these supporters have been misinformed.
Ed Klim, president of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA) met with Rep. Holt and Rep. Shays earlier this year.
"We've given them correct information [about the environmental claims] that is much different than what they are going off of," Klim said of the meeting. "They choose not to listen."
According to Klim, Holt should be more focused on the issues directly affecting his own state. "New Jersey is heavily polluted and I want to know what he's is doing about the smoke stacks along I-95," Klim said. "Holt's never even been to Yellowstone in the winter."
The bill now holds the support of 124 co-sponsors, 119 Democrats and 5 Republicans, but ISMA isn't worried. "You know it won't pass," Klim said. "It's a political effort on Holt's behalf to cater to his friends. And the people in Washington know what he's doing."
The bill will most likely be voted on in the late summer or early fall.
The Blue Ribbon Coalition, an organization dedicated to keeping public land accessible to snowmobiles, updates their website with the latest happenings in the Yellowstone issue. Check out
www.saveyellowstone.com for the coalition's take on past and present debates.