StudioGlyphic

The New York Times reports in "New Snowmobile Rules Roil Yellowstone" that a federal judge has "overturned rules established by the National Park Service under the Bush administration and returned the park to more restrictive rules established under the Clinton administration" regarding the use of snowmobiles in Yellowstone Park. This highlights the importance of fighting these appointments which seek to install idealogues in the judiciary.

As for the particular case, there are two issues here: pollution and noise. When the Clinton administration rules were drafted, snowmobiles were primarily powered by two-stroke engines, the same kind used in lots of motorcycles, smaller boats, and lawnmowers. These engines are notorious sources for pollution--I think they're about 20 times worse than a 4 stroke engine. The topography of Yellowstone traps and concentrates the emissions, so much so that park employees have had to wear respirators on bad days. Phasing out 2 stroke engines in favor of 4 stroke engines would help the pollution problem, though you would still have to have limits on the number of vehicles.

While the 4 stroke engines are usually quieter than the 2 stroke engines, they're still pretty noisy. I don't think most people think of National Parks as areas where they'll be confronted with the noises of gardening day. The restriction on numbers and the guides requirement should be a decent compromise between those who want quiet, and those who want noise. A full phase-out of snowmobiles probably wouldn't be such a bad thing. Noise is very stressful to wildlife, and could affect birth rates and lifespans if unchecked. At any rate, it's not as though the area immediately surrounding the park is dense development. There's plenty of space outside the boundaries that could probably be turned into a snowmobile run. For those who insist on being able to spew carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic chemicals, oil, and particulate matter in one of this nation's greatest natural reserves, well, you can't always get what you want....