Congressional Oversight Hearings re: ORV Management; Testimony

Congressional 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, though that is not catalogued on this link.

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.”

While the agency witnesses did not offer many recommendations for improving the situation on the ground, several other key witnesses did, for example:

Mary Denise Dowd, (MD, MPH, FAAP) represented the American Academy of Pediatrics. She discussed the extremely high number of children who are involved in accidents while riding ATVs, the severity of injuries they tend to experience, and the unfortunate frequency of fatal accidents. Two of her five key recommendations were:

• Children under 16 should not ride ATVs
• A driver’s license should be required to operate an ATV on public lands

Jack Gregory, a retired law enforcement officer with the Forest Service, and a member of Rangers for Responsible Recreation discussed the severity of the law enforcement challenge to dealing with off-road vehicles. His recommendations included:

• Establish penalties that deter [motorized recreationists from breaking the law]
• Properly fund ORV enforcement
• End hidden costs to taxpayers [specifically costs to enforce use, and to restore ecological damage]

Jack Gregory also introduced Wildlands CPR's Six Strategies for Success report about enforcement opportunities as part of his oral testimony, with very generous praise for its value to both the agencies and decision-makers.

He recommend that you review all of the testimony 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.