Yellowstone National Park News Release
The National Park Service (NPS) announced recently that it has reached an agreement for an extension to complete the final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Winter Use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway. Under the terms of a settlement agreement, a Record of Decision (ROD) was to be finalized by November 15, 2002, with a final rule published by December 15, 2002. With the approved extension, the ROD will now be finalized on March 21, 2003.
The NPS requested the extension to more effectively analyze the more than 350,000 public comments and incorporate any significant new or additional information or data submitted with respect to the winter use plan. The other parties to the settlement agreement agreed to the extension.
The Department of the Interior agreed to do a SEIS under the terms of a settlement agreement to a lawsuit brought by the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, the State of Wyoming and others, asking that the November 22, 2000 ROD be set aside.
The extension does not delay action on a proposed rule that would postpone, for one year, implementation of existing regulations to phase out the use of snowmobiles in the three parks as of the winter use season of 2003-2004. The proposed rule will be finalized on November 15, 2002, and will go into effect on December 15, 2002. The proposed rule will remain in effect until the final SEIS and Winter Use Plan is completed in March 2003. The proposed rule would place no limits on snowmobile numbers in the three-park area for the winter of 2002-2003.
There will be some changes in effect for the winter season of 2002-2003 in the three-park area. In Grand Teton, snowmobile use will be eliminated on the Teton Park Road and in the Potholes areas, and snowplane use will not be allowed on the frozen surface of Jackson Lake. In Yellowstone, certain routes that have been open to snowmobiles will be designated for snowcoach-only use. These include: Firehole Canyon Drive, Fountain Flat Road, Virginia Cascades Drive, North Canyon Rim Drive, Riverside Drive, Lake Butte Overlook Drive, and the road segment from Canyon Junction to Washburn Hot Springs Overlook on the Grand Loop Road. Specific hours of operation for snowmobile and snowcoach use in the three-park area will be 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
-NPS-
