Congress approves snowmobile ban delay

Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000 | 10:08 a.m.

U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., said Congress approved postponing until July 31 an effort to phase out snowmobile use to give President-elect George W. Bush a chance to block the ban.

Thomas is seeking alternatives to a ban on snowmobiling. He wants the next administration to enact noise and emissions standards to encourage manufacturers to develop cleaner, quieter machines.

Mike Clark of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition said while he has not seen the final language of the measure, he does not believe the delay will affect Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

The ban in those two parks is already law, he said. To overturn the ban, a Bush administration would have to undertake another lengthy environmental review.

Other parks may be more vulnerable because they may have yet to reach a decision on whether to ban snowmobiles, Clark said.

"It's a series of amazing maneuvers by a lame-duck Congress, but I'm not sure that anybody knows what it means," he said.

Dan Kunsman, spokesman for Thomas, said Congress approved the measure as part of a huge budget bill Friday before adjourning for the session.

The measure was bipartisan and applies to all national parks where snowmobiling has been allowed, including Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, Kunsman said.

President Clinton is "100 percent" expected to sign the budget bill because the bill was negotiated between Congress and the White House, he said.

"It's a done deal, as done as things in Washington are," he said.

In June, the National Park Service announced it was ordering national parks to look into banning snowmobiles, saying the machines violate federal rules. In November, Yellowstone and Grand Teton banned snowmobiles through a gradual phaseout over three winters, ending in 2003-2004.

The House approved the budget measure by 292-60 and the Senate passed it by voice vote.