hearing on access to national parks

Washington, DC, July, 2000 - The International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA) today praised Chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands Representative Jim Hansen (R-UT) for conducting an oversight hearing on the Department of the Interior's attempts to lock the public out of America's national parks.

"The Clinton Administration has engaged in a systematic attempt to restrict public access to national parks," said Ed Klim, president of ISMA. "The public chooses to experience their parks in many ways, from snowmobiles to RVs to personal watercraft, and they're trying to take it all away, one piece at a time. Two recent polls show nearly 80 percent of Americans believe snowmobiles should be allowed in national parks, and the administration should listen to the people."

"We applaud Representative Hanson for his leadership and willingness to expose this extreme attempt by Washington bureaucrats to lock out the public from the parks they own. Snowmobilers want to work with Congress to develop a reasonable public access policy so that everyone can respectfully enjoy our beautiful national parks, especially in wintertime," Klim added.

On April 27, the National Park Service (NPS) and outgoing Assistant Secretary of the Interior Donald Barry announced their intention to ban the use of snowmobiles in 27 national parks. The NPS took this extreme action, despite recent scientific evidence that shows new snowmobiles have significantly reduced sound and emissions.

"The Park Service used outdated tests and irrelevant procedures on obsolete snowmobiles," Klim said. "That is not a sound basis for public policy. In fact, all new snowmobiles currently meet or exceed all national emission and sound level requirements."

ISMA is an organization representing the four snowmobile manufacturers. ISMA maintains strong partnerships with the American Council of Snowmobile Associations and the Canadian Council of Snowmobile Associations, representing four million snowmobilers. ISMA coordinates committees within the industry to handle concerns such as snowmobile safety and the positive economic impact the sport has throughout the world.