In This Issue
"Cleaner" Snowmobiles Not So Clean
The Los Angeles Times reported on September 4 that tests by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demonstrate that certain 2004 model year Arctic Cat and Polaris snowmobiles "produce 40 percent to 213 percent more emissions than 2002 models." These results directly challenge the decision by the Bush Administration to continue snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks -- a decision that is predicated on the industry producing increasingly cleaner and quieter machines. These tests highlight significant backsliding over two model years.
The Times reports that the tests measured carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. It continues: "Of the three models tested, one didn't pass the emission standards set by the park and another failed to operate within permissible noise levels. . . . In addition, none of the new machines came close to bettering the emission level of the 2002 models. By one measure, the latest model produced more than double the hydrocarbons."
These findings provide further proof that the best way to safeguard Yellowstone and Grand Teton for the future is to phase-out snowmobiles and guarantee winter access via snowcoaches.
On September 8, a Great Falls Tribune editorial asked if President Bush hears his own EPA. It begins: "The silence from the White House is deafening. Its been that way since last week, when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that new, supposedly cleaner snowmobiles rolling off assembly lines actually are louder and dirtier than those manufactured two years ago." The editorial highlights that fact that certain 2004 model year snowmobiles have higher emissions than those manufactured in 2002. The paper concludes: "The EPA tests show that the snowmobile industry isn't terribly committed to doing the right thing in Yellowstone. Now we're listening to find out whether President Bush is."
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Park Service to Release List of Approved Snowmobiles
Within the next several weeks, the National Park Service will release a list of specific snowmobile models that could be authorized to operate in Yellowstone and Grand Teton this coming winter because they meet standards for best available technology (BAT). As outlined in a draft rule concerning snowmobile use in the parks (more about this proposal below), the Park Service proposes to annually issue a list of specific snowmobiles that it determines represent BAT. As proposed, these machines will then be authorized to enter the parks for 6 years after the initial year they appear on the list.
In light of the fact that testing by the EPA reveals that certain 2004 model year Arctic Cat and Polaris machines produce significantly more carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbon pollution than models produced in 2002, critical questions arise. Will the Service include these snowmobiles on the list? Will the Service stick with its definition of BAT and testing methods or will one or both be weakened to accommodate snowmobiles that are more polluting than ones the industry rolled off assembly lines less than 2 years ago?
Yellowstone at Crossroads: Proposed Snowmobile Rule Provides Less Protection for America's First National Park
The National Park Service published a proposed rule on August 27 that would authorize large-scale snowmobile use to continue in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Under the proposal, more snowmobiles could enter Yellowstone each day compared to historic averages and the Service acknowledges that initial daily limits could be increased in the future.
After assuring the American people that snowmobile technology will continuously improve, the proposal includes this startling statement: "However, if technology worsens, the daily entry limits could be further restricted to protect park resources and values." The proposal also acknowledges that large-scale snowmobile use will impose the highest costs - economic and non-economic - on "park visitors who do not ride snowmobiles and the businesses that provide services to these visitors, as well as members of the general public who place a value on protecting park resources from negative externalities associated with snowmobile use." The Park Service will accept public comments through October 14, 2003.
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