senator jeffords vt leaves the republican party

ou may have seen this headline splattered all over in the media the last few days. You may say, "so what?" Unfortunately, Jeffords' decision will have an impact on many things in Washington- including policies affecting snowmobilers.

His decision will switch control of the US Senate to the Democrats. Last-minute efforts from president Bush and other Republicans didn't sway him from making the switch, and today he declared himself an independent.

According to Christine Jourdain, Executive Director of the American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA), "Republicans will lose the Chairmanship on all committees. Senator Tom Daschle will become majority leader and will control the flow of legislation."

Snowmobilers could see Senator committee chairs change to Democratic leadership in the following: Forests and Public Land Management subcommittee, National Parks and Recreation subcommittee, Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Interior subcommittee, Clean Air, Wetlands and Private Property subcommittee and the Environment committee.

At his press conference, Senator Jeffords, 67, said, "Looking ahead, I can see more and more instances where I'll disagree with the president on very fundamental issues -- the issues of choice, the direction of the judiciary, tax and spending decisions, missile defense, energy and the environment, and a host of other issues, large and small."

Exactly how will this change in Senate control affect snowmobilers? We'll just have to wait and see.