[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H6710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            YELLOWSTONE AMENDMENT TO INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, this week we will be 
voting on a spending bill for the Department of the Interior, the 
agency entrusted with the management and stewardship of our national 
parks. Unfortunately, this agency seems to have forgotten the 
stewardship portion of their mission.
  The Department has decided to ignore 10 years of scientific study by 
the National Park Service, which concluded that the best way to protect 
and preserve Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, two of our 
greatest national treasures, would be to phase out the use of 
snowmobiles. They have decided to ignore the conclusion that emissions 
produced by snowmobiles force park rangers to wear respirators, 
adversely affect the health of visitors, and obscure visibility around 
the famous Old Faithful geyser.
  This decision is an affront to the health of our national park 
system. That is why I strongly support an amendment to the Interior 
appropriations bill that will call for a phaseout of the use of 
snowmobiles in these parks.
  Our national parks are irreplaceable. We need to act now so that we 
can ensure that they are protected for generations to come.

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