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Yellowstone awaits court decision on snowmobiling
WASHINGTON (AP) - Snowmobilers who plan to ride in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks when the winter season starts Wednesday may not know the rules of the trails until today. A federal judge is deciding whether the National Park Service, under the Bush administration, acted appropriately when it set aside a Clinton administration plan to ban snowmobiles and instead adopted regulations that limit the number of machines allowed in the parks and require them to be less polluting than a typical snowmobile. The Park Service is preparing to implement those limits on Wednesday. If U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan strikes down the latest regulations, however, his decision would likely put in motion the earlier plan. That would cut the number of machines allowed in the park by half and require the park to begin a transition to snowcoaches, which would carry groups of winter visitors to see Old Faithful and other park sites. Some snowcoaches are used now, but they are simply an option for park visitors. Yellowstone spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews said rangers will be ready for either outcome. But the timing of the decision leaves little time for snowmobilers and rental companies - and the small Wyoming and Montana towns that depend on their business - to adjust. Sullivan acknowledged that and said he would issue a decision as soon as he can. "The court didn't create this problem," Sullivan said Monday during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington. "The court didn't drag this out to the 11th hour. The federal government did." Two conservation groups are challenging the latest plan for different reasons. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition of Bozeman, Mont., argued that the Park Service has ignored its own studies that show a ban on snowmobiles and the use of snowcoaches is the best way to protect the park's natural resources. The group argued that unacceptable pollution and health risks to workers will continue in the parks even with the emission and entry limits. The Park Service said the new plan is based on a generation of cleaner snowmobile engines that weren't considered when the earlier ban was drafted. Officials have said the new plan strikes a needed balance between protecting the park and allowing the public to visit in winter. Meanwhile, the Fund for Animals is challenging the practice of grooming snow-covered roads for snowmobile and snowcoach use. That group claimed the Park Service dismissed studies indicating groomed roads harm bison by creating unnatural corridors for them to move within and out of the park. Bison that leave Yellowstone in winter can be rounded up or killed under certain circumstances because many carry a disease ranchers fear could be spread to their cattle. The Fund for Animals wants Sullivan to order the Park Service to stop grooming most of the roads in Yellowstone - a ban that would effectively stop snowmobiling in those areas. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition does not want grooming to end because snowcoaches also need packed roads. Abigail Dillen, a lawyer for the group, said snowcoaches are needed for the public to be able to experience Yellowstone's winter beauty. Yellowstone "is a crown jewel, but it doesn't belong in a safe deposit box," Dillen said. The Bush administration agreed to revisit the Clinton-era snowcoach plan as part of a legal settlement with snowmobile makers. The latest plan stemmed from that review. Under it, the Park Service intends to limit the number of snowmobiles allowed in the popular parks while requiring the machines to be built with new engines that are cleaner and quieter than those on typical snowmobiles. Much of the rationale was based on what Barbara Miller, an attorney for the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, called a dramatic improvement in engine design. Sullivan questioned how technology could improve "overnight." The Park Service also will require riders to make reservations and travel in groups with guides trained to deal appropriately with wildlife. Rangers will monitor the situation and make adjustments to the limits if needed. On the Net Yellowstone National Park: http://www.nps.gov/yell Greater Yellowstone Coalition: http://www.greateryellowstone.org International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association: http://www.snowmobile.org.
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