Snowmobilers, rodeo clowns may get easier access to federal land

Snowmobilers, triathlon runners, rodeo clowns and other groups could have an easier time organizing activities on federal land under a bill up that the House passed yesterday. The legislation, H.R. 289, would roll back regulations for use of federal lands for these events and others, including motocross, Jeep rallies, and fishing contests, and streamline the process for obtaining permits. The Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service issue nearly 17,000 permits a year for special recreation events, generating several million visits to federal land, according to the American Outdoors Association. Event organizers and trip outfitters have to undergo a lengthy and often costly permitting process, which frequently includes a review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The process can take at least 18 months, which can discourage groups from applying at all, according to a letter from the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition, the Colorado Snowmobile Alliance, the Off-Road Business Association, and the Trail Preservation Alliance. A 2004 law (Public Law 108-447) created special recreation permits to make it easier for groups to hold events in national forests and park lands. Over the years, federal agencies have added regulations on safety, environmental impact, and other areas that have raised the cost and extended the time it takes to get a permit. The bill would permanently authorize the agencies’ authority to issue the special permits — which now must be reauthorized annually — and directs them to streamline the process. Activities that have already been authorized wouldn’t have to undergo NEPA reviews thanks to a “categorical” exclusion in the bill. NEPA reviews can cost “tens of thousands of dollars,” according to a report on the bill from the House Natural Resources Committee...more