A Snow Job in Congress

In the final days of Congress’ session, a sneaky legislative rider would overturn a pending ban on snowmobiles in more than two dozen national parks, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton. This amendment, supported by the snowmobile industry, should be rejected. The National Park Service is within a few weeks of final action on a snowmobile rule, after months of work. If the rider gets to the White House in one of the pending appropriations bills, President Clinton should give it the emphatic veto it deserves.

The amendment, being circulated by Republican senators from the West, proclaims snowmobiling “an established, traditional and legitimate means of visitor use and enjoyment” in the parks when conducted in a way that causes no impact on park resources and values. It’s shocking that any member of Congress would buy that claim, much less try to write it into law. Almost by definition, snowmobiles shatter park values.

This is not at all to say that snowmobiles are bad. They can be raucous fun and are an important work-and-play vehicle in many rural northern areas. They are welcome in millions of acres of national forest land and on many private tracts. The only issue here is national parks, which have a special environmental and recreational niche.

The congressional rider would prohibit any ban or requirement for significant reduction in snowmobiling in the parks for at least five years after the Environmental Protection Agency establishes acceptable noise and exhaust levels. Then all the National Park Service could do is limit snowmobile outings to those machines that met the new EPA standards. But EPA standards are not the same as suitability for national parks. Even somewhat quieter, cleaner machines would disturb sensitive wildlife and the solitude of the winter wilderness.

Snowmobiling never has been allowed in Yosemite National Park. The problem is most acute in Yellowstone, but the measure would apply to 28 national parks, including Sequoia-Kings Canyon in California. Congress and the president should fend off this offensive rider.