Copyright 2001 Associated Press
June 29, 2001
By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration agreed Friday to reconsider, and possibly scrap, a Clinton-era ban on snowmobiles in some of the nation's oldest national parks. The decision settled a lawsuit with snowmobile makers, outdoor enthusiasts and the state of Wyoming.

The government says the settlement could result in lifting the snowmobiling ban that is to be phased in at Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Industry and environmental groups agree the ban is likely to be lifted in the parks and in the 82-mile John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway linking them.

``The administration feels very strongly that greater local input and wider public involvement and new scientific data can only lead to more informed decisions,'' Interior Department spokeswoman Stephanie Hanna said. ``A new rule could result from this, but it might not.''

Under the ban, the estimated 1,000 snowmobiles a day allowed in the parks would be cut by half by the December-to-March snowmobiling season starting at the end of 2002. All snowmobiles would be banned by the winter of 2003-2004.

Justice Department lawyers, representing the National Park Service, filed court papers in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne, Wyo., where Judge Clarence Brimmer must approve any agreement.

The National Park Service cited harmful environmental effects such as air pollution and noise a year ago, when it banned snowmobiles in most national parks after a three-year study involving 22 public hearings and 65,000 public comments. That study found snowmobiles contributed to the park's air pollution mainly by idling at the entrance to the park.

But the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association and the Wyoming State Snowmobile Association sued to overturn the ban in December, arguing that the Park Service was relying on incorrect pollution data.

``We expect to prove that the studies on which the Clinton administration based its ban were flawed and highly prejudiced,'' said Ed Klim, president of the manufacturers' group.

Though the Clinton ban had won the backing of the Bush White House in April, the administration also said at the time it still hoped an agreement could be reached to allow ``limited recreational use'' of snowmobiles on groomed roads in the parks.

Environmental groups accused the administration of acquiescing to industry and other commercial interests as, they say, it has increasingly done on decisions ranging from arsenic in drinking water to regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

``This is a way for the Bush administration to accommodate their friends in industry without having to admit that they're caving,'' said Abigail Dillen, an attorney for Bozeman, Mont.-based Earthjustice, an environmental law firm fighting the settlement.

The settlement calls for an additional environmental study and proposed changes to the snowmobiling ban to be outlined in early 2002. Final decisions, either lifting the ban or leaving it in place, must come by Nov. 15, 2002, a month before the traditional snowmobiling season begins.

Among the 139,123 visitors to Yellowstone last winter, 83,548 of them came aboard 66,728 snowmobiles. The rest came mostly in cars, snowcoaches and buses. For much of that time, park officials say, a blue haze of air pollution was noticeable, particularly on calm, clear mornings. Snowmobilers are limited to using the roads and groomed trails.

Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer said a second study will show that snowmobiles are cleaner and quieter than made out by the Park Service. ``The body of scientific evidence does not support the National Park Service's decision to ban snowmobiles,'' he said. Error: Unable to read footer file.