[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 38 (Wednesday, April 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S2479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SNOW MACHINES IN NATIONAL PARKS

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I rise to discuss an issue that is very 
important to those of us in Wyoming and to all of us who have an 
interest in national parks; that is, the winter use of snow machines in 
Yellowstone Park and Grand Teton Park.
  As some of my colleagues may know, for a number of years we have had 
an opportunity in the wintertime for people to go into the park, to 
engage in and tour the park in individual snow machines on a route that 
has been set forth. Of course, there has been a good deal of talk about 
it over the last several years and contentious debate over how that 
should be handled.
  Some people believe we should not be in the park at all in the 
wintertime with snow machines. Others believe it ought to continue as 
it is.
  We ended up about a year ago before the last administration moved out 
with a rule put into place that in 2 years the individual use of snow 
machines would be outlawed and eliminated.
  That brought about a considerable response, particularly from people 
who live close to the park and have occasion to use it from time to 
time. The outcome was that we had an EIS underway. There was a suit 
brought, and we also passed in the Congress an extension of 1 year so 
we would have an opportunity for study. That has been underway, a 
supplemental EIS, to see how that could be handled and what could be 
done.
  Of course, there are at least two primary missions of a national 
park; that is, to preserve the resource on the one hand, and then to 
let the owners enjoy it on the other hand. So we have to find some 
balance between protecting the resource and allowing people to enter 
the park and use it.
  For a number of years, snow machines have been used. I don't think 
anyone suggests that they continue as they have in the past because 
there are some impacts both from noise and from exhaust.
  One of the things that has changed and can change are improvements 
made to the machines. Some of them now go to four-cycle engines which 
are quieter, less exhaust oriented, and have been proven that way. In 
Jackson, WY, every year they have a contest to see who can improve the 
machines more. That has been a successful endeavor. We are in the 
process now of doing that.
  I don't think anyone who is realistic suggests that we continue to do 
it as we have in the past. Certainly, we could apply some rules and 
regulations: No. 1, manage it; separate the cross-country skiers from 
the snow machines on the one hand. That can be done. I suspect if it 
were necessary, you could limit the number of passes that were made 
available. Sometimes the collection at Old Faithful gets pretty large. 
Nevertheless, that could be handled.
  There have been suggestions that we limit the use in the night when 
animals are perhaps on the move. One of the arguments is that it 
distresses and disturbs the buffalo and the elk. I have been through 
the park with a machine and have ridden from here to the table from a 
big buffalo who paid no attention to me and had his nose down in about 
3 feet of snow pushing along trying to find a little grass. So I 
suppose there might be instances. But the fact is, they really don't 
disturb the wildlife.
  There has been now a regulation put into place, or an amendment that 
gives us another year to go through the supplemental EIS which is not 
yet completed. Then there would be, of course, probably about five 
alternatives that would be laid out in public. That is supposed to 
happen in November. We will have an opportunity to make some choices.
  I am just saying I hope we can make the changes that will protect the 
environment, can protect the environment. I am persuaded that can be 
done. At the same time, I hope we can allow people to continue to enjoy 
the park. Quite frankly, if you didn't have this opportunity with the 
snow machine, there would be very little use of the park in wintertime 
because it is large. And, of course, you can't ski clear across the 
whole area, or very few people can.
  That is in the process. I wanted to say I hope we do keep a couple of 
things in mind as we deal with our parks and our Federal lands.
  One is that, of course, we should take care of the environment. No. 
2, people ought to have access to these lands. It is really too bad if 
we set them aside so that people can't enjoy them and have access to 
them. Another is to manage it so that it really doesn't have an impact. 
Much of that is the result of management, and, quite frankly, we have 
not done as much of that and some of the park officials would rather 
not have any. So, therefore, they have not made an effort to manage 
their existence very well.
  I hope we proceed on that and come out with a reasonable compromise 
that still allows access, and we can at the same time take care of the 
environment, both in Yellowstone and in Grand Teton, as well as other 
places where snow machines are used.

                          ____________________