Congressional ORV Oversight Hearings Summary

On March 13, the Subcommittee On National Parks, Forests And Public Lands held an oversight hearing on “The Impacts Of Unmanaged Off-Road Vehicles On Federal Land.”  All of the written testimony from the invited witnesses for the hearing can be found here.

Other individuals and organizations also submitted written testimony.

According to the subcommittee’s chairman, Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), the hearing was about, “the agencies’ inability to manage the areas that are being overrun. This is about managing the legal use of ORVs. This is about creating a culture of responsible recreational use.”

We sincerely appreciate Congressman Grijalva’s efforts, especially to create a culture of responsibility surrounding off-road vehicle recreation.  Current off-road vehicle management, unfortunately, promotes a culture of lawlessness that results in severe damage to the land and to other recreational opportunities.

The hearing was a first step in long-absent congressional oversight regarding failed off-road vehicle management on federal lands.  Unfortunately, the testimony from the Forest Service and BLM representatives was less than informative about the scope of the problem and the challenges these agencies face in bringing rampant off-road vehicle abuse under control.

On the other hand, testimony from several other key witnesses was very helpful in articulating the scope of the problem and making key recommendations - for more information, see our resources page.

We recommend that you review their testimony in it’s entirety at this website.  It was clear from the agency and from the off-road vehicle industry representatives that their mantra about a few bad apples has not changed.  Fortunately there were speakers who pointed out the profound enormity of this problem, and that real regulatory changes are needed if we are to develop that culture of responsibility.  Those changes include the protection of special places, the adoption and implementation of tough, strict rules of motorized recreation on public lands, and the swift and consistent enforcement of those rules.