Yellowstone snowmobile opponents worry about pollution standards

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Yellowstone snowmobile opponents worry about pollution standards

By the Associated Press

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Opponents of snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park fear manufacturers are backsliding from commitments to build cleaner and quieter snowmobiles for the park.
An industry official said snowmobile makers haven't changed plans to meet new rules aimed at limiting pollution in Yellowstone and nearby Grand Teton National Park.

‘‘Some vehicles that manufacturers make are exceptionally clean and meet or exceed the new Yellowstone standards and will continue to do that,'' said Ed Klim, president of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association. ‘‘Others will be made that are not quite as clean ... and not intended to be applied in Yellowstone.''

The National Park Service says it can further restrict the number of snowmobiles allowed in the parks if new machines are not as clean as expected.

Noise and exhaust emissions have been at the center of the debate over whether to allow snowmobiles to continue operating in the popular parks, which sit in northwestern Wyoming and include parts of Montana and Idaho.

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