U.S. Senate votes to shut Off-Highway Vehicles out of more than 1 million acres of public land

By a 73-21 vote, the U.S. Senate on January 15 approved a massive package of public lands bills that would shut motorcyclists out of more than 1 million acres without adequate public comment.

The package now moves to the U.S. House for consideration, where Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations, hopes the details of the bills will be fully scrutinized and publicly debated.

"More than 160 bills were lumped together to form this package that is nearly 1,300 pages long," Moreland said. "And then the Senate rushed it through for a vote."

More than 160 public lands bills were grouped together by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The package would create more than 1 million acres of designated Wilderness land, which would shut out all motorized vehicles.

The last-minute congressional maneuver would also make the National Landscape Conservation System permanent. This system creates an additional level of bureaucracy for the National System of Public Lands and would remove much of the authority of the existing agency in managing those lands.

"Congress should put together a new package and pass it through committee rather than debate legislation carried over from the previous Congress," Rep. Bishop said. "Poor process produces poor product, and this is an example of congressional process at its worst. Parts of this bill are good, and parts are very bad. Each part deserves to be discussed and voted on its own merits."

"Continued responsible access to public lands is a vitally important right for current and future generations," added Moreland. "This measure deserves to be fully analyzed and thoughtfully debated in the next Congress prior to a final vote."

All AMA members and anyone else who enjoys outdoor recreation are urged to contact their U.S. House members and ask them to oppose the omnibus public lands bill. An easy way to contact your representatives is in the "Issues & Legislation" area of the Rights section of the AMA website.