U.S. House kills contentious land use bill

From the American Motorcyclist Association

PICKERINGTON, OH -- In a major victory for off-highway motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders, the U.S. House on Wednesday 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."

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.