Yellowstone Snowmobile Ban Struck Down

KSL Channel 5 TV ^ | 10/15/2004 | unknown

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday struck down a ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, calling it a "prejudged, political" move that sought to exclude the vehicles from all national parks.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer ruled that the Clinton-era ban was invalid because it did not involve adequate public participation and failed to follow federal law. His decision could clear the way for new rules that allow the machines.

The rule was "the product of a prejudged, political decision to ban snowmobiles from all the national parks," Brimmer wrote.

The National Park Service was expected to issue new snowmobile rules next month in time for the winter recreation season.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal praised the judge's decision, saying it recognized "the fundamentally unfair nature of the ban and ensured that citizens will get to see their national park."

Attorneys for snowmobile manufacturers, winter resorts and other tourism-related ventures asked Brimmer last month to permanently lift the ban so businesses could have peace of mind about their survival.

The ban, adopted during the Clinton administration and set to take effect last winter, was set aside in early 2003 by the park service to settle a lawsuit filed by snowmobile makers. Under the agreement, new rules were drafted to allow a limited number of snowmobiles inside the parks.

Brimmer's Washington colleague, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, later overturned the regulations and ordered the ban to begin this year. Brimmer set aside Sullivan's decision in February.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The enviralists have been trying to shut down snowmobiling in northwest Wyoming for 25 years on the grounds of noise (wahh, they're going to disturb the buffalo and elk that have thousands of square miles to scatter to where the snowmobiles can't go) and pollution (which is infinitesimal, the air pollution indexes can't even get a reading). The ban was put in place by Klinton, who was probably well bribed to do it.

[Petronski]

Well, I'm a thousand miles away and have never ridden a snowmobile in my life (hate the things), but I still have to say...

Thank you God.


Many a small business will be saved if this ruling stands.

[HairOfTheDog]

They ~are~ noisy, and the last thing I want to hear in the wilderness... Only thing louder and more annoying are ORVs and dirt bikes.

~smiles~

But that's just me.

[EagleUSA]

"a "prejudged, political" move that sought to exclude the vehicles from all national parks."
======
Many of us remember this type of authoritarian leftist scenario was very common during the time that Clinton held the USA hostage...government land grabs, restricting access and spending taxpayer dollars to buy up land for government ownership, without access to the people that really own it....I am sure this judge is NOT A LEFTIST ACTIVIST STOOGE...

[CatOwner]

I gotta stop reading these post titles too quickly. My eyes saw Yellowstone Snowmobile Ban Struck Down before I realized what the real title was.

[mylife]

Huzzah!

I heard this this morning.

I hope to get up there one winter for a trip. get a cabin and snomobile. Its Freekin cold but I want to see geyser basin in winter.

All the wildlife moves in to take advantage of the heat from the geysers

[nascarnation]

2 strokes rule!
I love my Polaris

[HairOfTheDog]

ROTFL! No that will be a totally different case ;~D

[mylife]

President Bush wants to limit it to 4 stroke snomobiles vice the old 2 stroke noisemakers.

4 strokes are no louder than a car

[The_Republican]

This Ruling SUCKS.

Yellow Stone and Grand Teton are National Treasures and should be preserved at ALL costs.

I surely don't want to see snow-mobile tracks and hear engines while I am in wilderness.

There are so many other places where these LOSERS can destroy, why should they have to exploit these two National treasures.

They would trash the place, destroy the peace, and disturb the wildlife.

This is terrible.

Hopefully, the next level of court system would reverse this asshole's ruling.

[mylife]

destroy?

The machines are intended for use on the roads there just like cars do all summer long

[HairOfTheDog]

You sound like someone that has actually been in the woods with these types. Me too, and I am on your side ;~D. These are National Parks, not ORV parks.

[cajun-jack]

do you live near there?? do you go there often?? have you ever been there??

do you complain about the "thumper" radio systems in cars passing your house?

[ecurbh]

I agree.

[mylife]

No one is suggesting that these parks be used for Off road activity.

Far more cars will pass thru every summer than snomobiles in winter.

[taildragger]

There is more to this story than you realize.

The Clintonista EPA types pulled a bait and switch on the manufacturers.

The EPA and the manufacturers were working in good faith to come up with emissions standards and this ruling came out of nowhere.

I have on a disk somewhere the remarks form a a Big Kahuna at Bombardier (Ski doo) and he was p*$$ed and spoke in a candor that is not often seen in our politically correct world.

At the heart of the buffoonery is the fact that "2 Stroke" engines can employ technologies such as semi-direct and Direct Injection (no one has chosen to use Orbital Engine's Air Assisted Direct Injection yet, IT is the best) that make them just as clean if not better than 4 strokes with good fuel economy.

The 2 Stroke engine is not dead yet, look at Mercury Marine's Optimax line of engines, Tohatsu's TLDI engines, and Aprilia's DI-Tech scooter engine.

[HairOfTheDog]

No one is suggesting that these parks be used for Off road activity

You are naive. Off-road is ~exactly~ what they do.

[The_Republican]

Thank-You! There is nothing like our wilderness and people who have not spent time in it will never understand what they are losing.

There are so many other places where one can enjoy the rush of going fast on Snow, but it should not be in these precious parks.

There two kind of people, who get rush by making noise in middle of heaven, and those who are moved beyond words, just hearing the quiet and peace of those places. This is a sad day for the later.