NEWS
For Immediate Release: April 19, 2001

Contact: Jon Catton, Greater Yellowstone Coalition (406) 586-1593
Kevin Collins, National Parks Conservation Association (202) 454-3392
Russell Long, Bluewater Network (415) 788-3666, ext. 110

Industry's Pledge for "Clean" Machine a Snow Job-

Documents Reveal that Snowmobile Manufacturers are Fighting
New Pollution Standards, in Contrast to Their Public Statements

Bozeman, Montana. Comments submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicate that when it comes to making snowmobiles less damaging to public health and the environment, the snowmobile industry is telling the public one thing and the Bush Administration another. The International Snowmobile Association (ISMA) and Polaris Industries (a manufacturer) submitted the comments as they continue to fight to keep machines in Yellowstone and other national parks.

In previous public statements, the manufacturers have claimed that they can produce "clean" machines as the solution to escalating problems in national parks caused by snowmobiles. But their comments submitted to EPA on February 5, 2001 reveal a completely different strategy of resisting these new standards that would require snowmobiles to be significantly cleaner. In addition, the companies continue to file suits and wage a public relations campaign to overturn snowmobile phase-outs in national parks.

EPA has a court ordered deadline of September 14, 2001 to issue a proposed rule to limit air pollution emissions from snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles.

"In its public rhetoric, the snowmobile industry has assured Americans it is committed to protecting national parks and is merely waiting for guidance from the EPA before cleaning up its act," said Kevin Collins of the National Parks Conservation Association. "But quietly the industry is telling the EPA, "We don't believe you have the authority to regulate us."

In testimony before Congress last May, Chris Twomey, president and CEO of Arctic Cat, Inc. (as well as chairman of ISMA) declared: "We want to protect and preserve the environment and we are pledged to manufacture machines that will do that. We look forward to complying with the forthcoming EPA emission standards."

Now, however, ISMA is pressuring EPA to issue extremely weak standards. In its recent comments, ISMA challenged whether EPA even has the legal authority to regulate hydrocarbon pollution from snowmobiles. In addition, the association advised against setting a snowmobile standard for nitrogen oxide emissions and stated that Polaris, Arctic Cat, Yamaha and Ski-Doo are, at most, prepared to reduce snowmobile emissions of toxic carbon monoxide by only 30 percent over the next six years. Such a reduction would still leave new model snowmobiles emitting dozens of times more carbon monoxide than new automobiles.

Russell Long of Bluewater Network said: "Employees in Yellowstone National Park have suffered headaches, nausea, sore throats, and watering eyes from working in the midst of snowmobile exhaust." Long added: "After claiming publicly and to Congress that it is committed to cleaning up its act, it¹s absurd that the industry is demanding six years to achieve a standard that cars met a quarter century ago. What the snowmobile manufacturers have revealed in these documents is an unabashed desire to give their own profits greater weight than cleaning up the air and protecting public health."

Meanwhile, Polaris Industries asserted in its comments to EPA that the best available evidence "establishes that EPA has no basis for regulating snowmobile engine emissions under section 213(a)(3)" of the Clean Air Act.

"Years of scientific studies have demonstrated that snowmobiles are threatening wildlife and disrupting the peace and quiet that millions of Americans expect to find in their national parks," said Michael Scott of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. "In the face of publicly-supported bans on snowmobiles in national parks, the industry has claimed, falsely, that making snowmobiles less polluting is the only solution necessary," he added. "Now, it¹s even backing off from its public commitment to do something about the pollution."

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