U.S. Senate poised to shut
ATVs out of more than 1 million acres of land
Pickerington, OH (1/14/2009)
- The U.S. Senate is poised to act as early as
Sunday on a massive package of public lands bills
that would shut motorcyclists out of more than
1 million acres without adequate public comment,
the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.
The last-minute move just as the newly elected
Congress takes over has raised the ire of the
AMA and at least one congressman, who believe
the proposal and process deserve more public participation.
"Those who say things get better with time
obviously never encountered the public lands omnibus
bill," said U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah).
"This bill was a bad idea last Congress and
it's only gotten worse over the past month."
Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government
relations, agreed.
"It makes little sense to lump together more
than 160 very important public lands bills into
once package and expect the public to digest it
all, and to rush a vote through the Senate on
a weekend." Moreland said.
More than 160 public lands bills have been grouped
together by Senate majority leader Harry Reid.
The package would create more than 1 million acres
of designated Wilderness land, which would shut
out all motorized vehicles.
The last-minute congressional maneuver would also
make the National Landscape Conservation System
permanent. This system creates an additional level
of bureaucracy for the National System of Public
Lands and would remove much of the authority of
the existing agency in managing those lands.
"Congress should put together a new package
and pass it through committee rather than debate
legislation carried over from the previous Congress,"
Rep. Bishop said. "Poor process produces
poor product, and this is an example of congressional
process at its worst. Parts of this bill are good,
and parts are very bad. Each part deserves to
be discussed and voted on its own merits."
"Continued responsible access to public lands
is a vitally important right for current and future
generations," added Moreland. "This
measure deserves to be fully analyzed and thoughtfully
debated in the 111th Congress prior to a final
vote."
All AMA members and anyone else who enjoys outdoor
recreation is urged to contact their U.S. Senators
and ask them to oppose the omnibus public lands
bill.
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