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WASHINGTON
- August 27 - Statement from William H. Meadows, President, The Wilderness Society.
When President Bush took office, he pledged that sound science and accountability to the American people would guide his environment policies. Yet in taking another step today to increase, rather than end, snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park, the Administration is proposing to reject the conclusions of the very scientific studies it called for.
This year, the National Park Service again determined, and the Environmental Protection Agency concurred, that the latest models of snowmobiles, compared to multi-passenger snowcoaches, will burden Yellowstone with much higher levels of haze, engine noise, disturbance of wildlife, and health risks for visitors and employees. The Administration is ignoring these conclusions and placing the snowmobile industry above a clean and healthy environment in our first national park.
Equally troubling, the Administration continues to ignore the wishes of the American people. Repeatedly, by a 4-to-1 margin, citizens have urged the Administration to give Yellowstone National Park the best possible protection.
The President still has time to protect Yellowstone National Park by eliminating snowmobile use. In Yellowstone, of all places, he should honor his pledge to be guided by sound science.
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