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Judge Says Yes to Snowmobiles in Yellowstone10-20-04 | News
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Judge Says Yes to Snowmobiles in Yellowstone


Last winter, about 260 snowmobiles entered Yellowstone each day; the National Park Service is now looking to allow 720 a day into Yellowstone, and 140 into Grand Teton.

On Oct. 15, 2004, U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer ruled favorably on an appeal from snowmobile special interest groups that the offroad vehicles be allowed in Yellowstone and nearby Grand Teton National Park.

The decision reversed a 2001 Clinton-era ban on snowmobiles that cited pollution, noise and disturbing wildlife (in particular, buffalo, who were fleeing the park and being slaughtered). The 2001 ban was to phase out snowmobiles over three years, but the Bush administration issued new rules allowing Yellowstone to have up to 950 snowmobiles and Grand Teton up to 190. The judge asserted the ban was ?EUR??,,????'??based on bad science and a "prejudged political decision."

While conservation groups bemoaned the ruling, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and many Wyoming officials praised the decision. Some had predicted that the state's half-million population would lose some 900 jobs if the ban were imposed.

Judge Emmet Sullivan, a federal judge in the District of Columbia, who ruled last year that the Clinton ban be enforced, is still in a position to rule on the latest regulations.

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