Yellowstone Air Quality Press Release
STUDIES SHOW YELLOWSTONE AIR QUALITY TIED TO SHARP REDUCTION IN SNOWMOBILE NUMBERS
New Scientific Reports Credit Drop in Snowmobiles With Easing of Unhealthy Haze and Caution New 4-Stroke Snowmobiles Remain Much Dirtier than Automobiles; Coalition of NPS Retirees Urges Science to be Respected in Plans for Nation’s First Park.
WASHINGTON, D.C.//November 15, 2006//Pollution and related ill-health effects have both improved markedly in recent winters at Yellowstone National Park and the principal reason for the turnaround is a two-thirds reduction in the number of snowmobiles entering the park, according to two new scientific reports posted on the Yellowstone National Park Web site.
The first report from the National Park Service (NPS) Air Resources Division states: “Most of the gain in air quality (at Yellowstone) can be attributed to the smaller number of snowmobiles.”
The second NPS report cautions that despite improved emissions, new 4-stroke snowmobiles remain “much dirtier than light-duty cars and trucks.” That report states that peak concentrations of carbon monoxide in Yellowstone’s air are greater in winter with an average of 250 snowmobiles per day than they are during summer months even though “summer traffic is 60 times the amount of winter traffic.”
Bill Wade, a former superintendent of Shenandoah National Park and chair of the Executive Council of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees (CNPSR) said: “It is time for the Bush Administration to be accountable to its own scientific studies and put clean air in Yellowstone National Park first instead of catering to the snowmobile industry.” “The Administration has ordered up endless studies, costing millions of tax dollars, all aimed at justifying a continuation of snowmobile use in Yellowstone, but the science doesn’t support such a policy. Snowmobiles are perfectly acceptable in some places, but this report underscores yet again that they are not consistent with the high standards that Americans want maintained in their oldest national park.”
Rick Smith, a member of CNPSR’s Executive Council and former acting superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, said: “Few actions in the National Park System would be more popular at the moment, and few would do more to restore the morale of the Park Service and the trust of the American people than for the Administration to heed what science has been telling it, repeatedly, for six years about the harmful effects of snowmobile use in Yellowstone. It’s high time to protect Yellowstone’s unique winter environment by providing visitors with access using the modern, environmentally-friendly snowcoaches that are becoming increasingly popular.”
The reports prepared by the NPS Air Resources Division conclude that the sharp reduction in the number of snowmobiles -- which has averaged 250 per day over the past three seasons, instead of the over 700 per day that once dominated the park -- has helped clean up Yellowstone’s air far more than the new generation of technology highly touted by the snowmobile industry. The first report is available online at http://www.nps.gov/yell/parkmgmt/upload/winteraqstudy04-05.pdf. The second report is available online at http://www.nps.gov/yell/parkmgmt/upload/draft05-06_report.pdf.
Last year, NPS reported that snowmobile manufacturers have not lived up to their promises to reduce the environmental impact of their machines further, and “there have been no improvements in snowmobile air or sound emissions since 4-strokes were introduced in 2001.”
A third recently released air quality study completed for NPS shows the different directions Yellowstone air quality could take under a final winter use policy to be decided next year. This study, available at http://www.nps.gov/yell/parkmgmt/upload/final_air_quality_report_11_06.pdf, compares alternatives that would continue snowmobile use in Yellowstone with others that would replace all snowmobile use with additional access to the park on snowcoaches. Yellowstone has seen a dramatic increase in the popularity of snowcoaches during the past three winters as visitors have opted for their greater affordability, convenience and environmental benefits compared to snowmobile trips. The report states: “The largest reductions in pollutant concentrations and emissions are seen under alternatives that allow only snowcoaches…”
The air quality reports come on the heels of scientific findings released last month, which revealed that noise from snowmobiles has exceeded Yellowstone’s standards in three consecutive winters even as the number of snowmobiles entering the park has declined.
The reports showing a disproportionate impact on Yellowstone’s environment from snowmobile use echo key conclusions reached independently by NPS and the Environmental Protection Agency in 2000 and in two additional environmental studies conducted at the request of the Bush Administration completed in 2003 and 2004. All three studies concluded that replacing snowmobile use in Yellowstone with the more environmentally friendly snowcoach access would best preserve “the unique historic, cultural, and natural resources associated with the parks” (Yellowstone and Grand Teton) and yield “the least impacts to air quality, water quality and natural soundscapes.” However, instead of implementing the snowcoach alternative, the Administration has ordered a fourth study, which is underway and produced the new findings about air pollution and noise. NPS estimates that since 2000 the total cost of its Yellowstone snowmobile studies has exceeded $8 million.
ABOUT CNPSR The 550 members of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees are all former employees of the National Park Service with a combined 16,500 years of stewardship of America's most precious natural and cultural resources. In their personal lives, CNPSR members reflect the broad spectrum of political affiliations. CNPSR members have served their country well, and their credibility and integrity in speaking out on national park issues should not go ignored. The Coalition counts among its members five former directors or deputy directors of the National Park Service; 24 former regional directors or deputy regional directors; 31 former associate or assistant directors at the national or regional office level; 68 former division chiefs at the national or regional office level; and 132 former park superintendents or assistant superintendents. For more information, visit the CNPSR Web site at http://www.npsretirees.org.
CONTACT: Patrick Mitchell, for CNPSR, (703) 276-3266 or pmitchell@hastingsgroup.com.