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http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3824723/detail.htmlYellowstone's Snowmobile Ban Struck Down
Winter Resorts Argued National Park Rule Hurting Business
POSTED: 11:13 am MDT October 15, 2004
CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A federal judge in Wyoming has struck down the Clinton-era ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer ruled that the Clinton ban was invalid because it did not have adequate public participation and failed to follow federal law.
Brimmer said the Clinton rules were the product of a prejudged, political decision to ban snowmobiles from all the National Parks.
The decision this week clears the way for new rules being developed by the National Park Service that likely will allow the machines.
The new rules are expected in time for the coming winter season.
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal said Judge Brimmer's decision ensures that citizens will get to see their national parks.
Snowmobile manufacturers, winter resorts and the states of Wyoming and Montana argued for the Clinton rules to be struck down. They said doing so would provide certainty for businesses that rely on winter use of the parks and clarify separate federal court rulings on the matter.