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The Honorable Mike Lee |
The Honorable Martin Heinrich |
CC: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Members
RE: Oppose S.2970 – To authorize the use of off-highway vehicles in certain areas of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Dear Chairman Lee, Ranking Member Heinrich, and Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,
We write in opposition to S.2970, which would authorize the use of off-highway vehicles in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. S. 2970 would permanently transform Capitol Reef National Park—inflicting irreparable damage on Park resources, shattering its natural soundscapes, and profoundly diminishing the visitor experience. Under this bill, all manner of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) would be permitted on 11 of the 12 Park roads identified in Section 1(a)(1), and “street-legal” OHVs would be permitted on 12th. OHV use is currently not permitted in any National Park in Utah.
This proposed change is entirely unnecessary. There are tens of thousands of miles of dirt roads and trails on federal public lands in Utah open to the public for OHV use, including thousands of miles adjacent to the Park.
Background on motorized vehicles on Park roads in Capitol Reef National Park:
Currently, OHVs are prohibited – and may not be driven – on any roads in Capitol Reef National Park, including the 12 roads identified in Section 1(a)(1) (defining “covered roads”).
- This prohibition is found in both United States Code of Federal Regulation 36 C.F.R. 4.10 and detailed in a Capitol Reef National Park-specific determination regarding the continuing prohibition of use of any OHV, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), or similar vehicle on Park roads governing Capitol Reef National Park.
- This prohibition exists to protect National Park resources and leave them unimpaired for current and future generations. The Park-specific determination makes clear that OHV use in the Park may result in a number of unacceptable impacts to Park resources and values, including regarding noise, air quality, damage to areas adjacent to Park roads, soil erosion, and visitor experience and visitor safety.
- Each of the 12 roads identified in S.2970 is currently open to full size motorized vehicles such as pick-up trucks, jeeps, and SUVs, allowing access to all visitors to these areas of the Park.
Should S.2970 be enacted, the effects of the bill would include:
- Under S.2970, all manner of OHVs would be permitted on 11 of the 12 Park roads identified in Section 1(a)(1). This includes dirt bikes, side-by-sides and ATVs. These vehicles are intentionally designed to go faster and further into the backcountry.
- Many of the 11 Park roads identified are remote which – if opened to OHVs – would increase the risk of inadvertent or intentional off-road travel which would lead to resource damage. According to the Capitol Reef National Park’s website, many areas of the Park include significant cultural resources from the Archaic and Fremont Cultures including petroglyphs, pictographs, and found artifacts.
- One of the most well-photographed features in the remote Cathedral District of the Park are the Temples of the Sun and Moon. The Park Service’s website describes it this way: “A remote backcountry with no paved roads, Capitol Reef’s northern Cathedral District features stark landscapes and a high degree of solitude. ”The Temples of the Sun and Moon Road is one of the 11 roads identified in S.2970 that would be opened to OHVs.
- Street-legal OHVs” would be permitted on State Highway 24, which is also identified in Section 1(a)(1).
With the Administration’s firing of Park staff and the cutting of Park budgets, this bill would put an even heavier burden on Park rangers and staff by authorizing these fast, loud and powerful vehicles into the very heart of the Park. And the Park Service itself has said that “The use of Park roads for OHVs, ATVs, and other motorized conveyances manufactured for recreational non-highway, off road, or all terrain travel poses an undetermined risk for Park resources and values.” (National Park Service, 2020).
Given the clear risks to natural resources, cultural sites, and visitor experience, we respectfully urge the Committee to oppose S.2970. Allowing OHV use within the Park would jeopardize resources that cannot be replaced. The bill represents a departure from long-standing, evidence-based park management practices. We ask the Committee to reaffirm its commitment to safeguarding Capitol Reef National Park for the benefit of generations to come.
Sincerely,
Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance
Californians for Western Wilderness
Center for Biological Diversity
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Conservation Lands Foundation
EcoFlight
Endangered Species Coalition
Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC)
Glen Canyon Institute
Grand Canyon Trust
Great Basin Water Network
Great Old Broads for Wilderness
Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Greater Wasatch Broadband Chapter
Great Old Broads for Wilderness, SW Utah Broadband Chapter
GreenLatinos
Kettle Range Conservation Group
Living Rivers Colorado Riverkeeper
Minnesota Division Izaak Walton League of America
National Parks Conservation Association
New Mexico Wild
San Juan Citizens Alliance
Sierra Club
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA)
Standing Trees
Stewardship Utah
The Wilderness Society
Utah Rivers Council
Western Slope Conservation Center
Western Watersheds Project
Western Wildlife Conservancy
Wild Cumberland
Wild Montana
WildEarth Guardians
Wilderness Watch
References
National Park Service. (2020, June). Updated determination and rationale regarding continuing the prohibition of use of any Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV), All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), or similar vehicle on park roads National Park – September 2025. National Park Service.