PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- In a major victory for off-highway motorcycle and all-terrain
vehicle (ATV) riders, the U.S. House on Wednesday, March 11, voted down a bill that
would have banned motorized vehicles from more than 2 million acres of public land,
the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.
The bill -- Senate Bill 22: The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 -- failed
to get the required two-thirds vote of the House members for approval. The vote
was 282 yes to 144 no, with six lawmakers abstaining.
The bill had raised the ire of the AMA and others not only because it was a package
of more than 160 bills put together to form a single bill more than 1,300 pages
long, but also because it was fast-tracked through the Senate earlier this year
and then positioned for a final House vote without the consideration of House members
on more than 70 bills in the package.
"AMA members played a significant role in the defeat of this bill," said Ed Moreland,
AMA vice president for government relations. "We asked all AMA members, off-highway
motorcyclists, ATV riders and everyone who supports responsible outdoor recreation
to immediately contact their congressional representative and ask them to reject
the bill. And people responded, flooding their lawmakers with requests to vote
'no.'"
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), a leading voice opposing the measure, agreed: "This
bill was the poor product of a poor process, and it would have cut off reasonable
access for a whole host of activities on our public lands. I think it's correct
to say that the defeat of this bill today was a victory for Americans who appreciate
access, such as the millions of folks who enjoy responsible recreation on our public
lands.
"This specific fight is certainly not over, but the grassroots lobbying so far has
definitely helped our cause," Bishop said.
Speaking on the House floor before the vote, U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) warned
that the bill "bans recreational access to millions of acres of public land despite
proponents claims that it will protect vast new land areas for the appreciation
of Americans. Lands that citizens currently use for enjoyment will be barricaded
from recreational vehicle use."
Moreland noted that other land-access groups were also involved in fighting this
measure, including Americans for Responsible Recreational Access, the BlueRibbon
Coalition, the Motorcycle Industry Council, the Off-Road Business Association, the
American Council of Snowmobile Associations and others.
The bill was written poorly, lumping together so many different proposals, Moreland
said. Additionally, it would have unreasonably banned responsible motorized recreation
on more than 2 million acres of public land by inappropriately designating it as
Wilderness. The procedures used for fast-tracking the bill through the legislative
process also violated the spirit of open and democratic government.
Moreland warned, however, that while the AMA is cautiously optimistic about the
outcome of today's vote, this bill, or one very similar to it, could re-emerge in
another form soon. Riders must remain vigilant.
An easy way to stay on top of issues affecting motorcycling is to sign up for the
AMA Government Relations Department's Action E-list in the Rights section of www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com. That way you can be notified by e-mail when you
can make a difference on important issues.