Snowmobiles: Weak EPA Rules Will Derail Attempts to Curb Pollution

Posted: 13-Sep-2002; Updated: 24-Jun-2003

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue new air pollution rules today for "nonroad" recreational and industrial engines, which includes snowmobiles. These heavily polluting engines have never before been subject to regulation under the federal Clean Air Act, in spite of the fact that a typical 2-stroke snowmobile engine produces as much harmful pollution in seven hours as a passenger car driven for 100,000 miles.

Photo: National Park Service

But the new emission standards likely to be issued by EPA will fail to protect human health and air quality and fall far short of meeting clean technology standards required by law. "Unfortunately, the EPA is moving forward with emission standards for snowmobiles that are a snow job," said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton. "EPA is squandering an important and highly cost-effective opportunity to lower harmful air pollutants from these very dirty engines. The result is bad public policy that violates EPA's duty under the Clean Air Act to establish rigorous clean air standards."

See our fact sheet: Concerns With the Bush Administration's Plan for Snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (99 Kb pdf)

Big Polluters and Weak Regs

Each year, snowmobiles collectively discharge approximately 530,000 tons of carbon monoxide and 200,000 tons of hydrocarbons. Snowmobiles are major contributors to harmful air pollution in our national parks. And they not only contribute significantly to overall national emissions, but are responsible for considerably more pollution than passenger cars and trucks on a per-engine basis. While passenger cars have been subject to increasingly rigorous tailpipe emission standards for some pollutants, no federal emission standards have ever been established to curb the air pollution from snowmobiles.

In today's final action, EPA is expected to roll back the already weak emission standards proposed last year, due to pressure from the snowmobile industry. Last year, EPA proposed to require a 30% emission reduction in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions to be achieved by 2006, and a 50% reduction in both pollutants by 2010. However, 4-stroke engines already being sold on the market are able to achieve greater emission reductions than the new rules require, and a modified 2-stroke engine developed by Colorado State University reduces hydrocarbons by 88% and carbon monoxide by 99%. Consequently, the expected new rules lag behind these technologies even before they are enacted.

Clean Technology Already Exists

Indeed, all four of the major snowmobile manufacturers - representing more than 95 percent of the domestic market - are now producing four-stroke models that achieve a high level of emission reductions over current two-stroke models. Furthermore, these cleaner engines have significantly better fuel economy, are quieter and operate at a high performance level. These cleaner engines should become the industry standard for all models. "Clearly cost effect alternatives are now available which would achieve far greater reductions in harmful pollution than the weak standards introduced today," said Patton.

The harmful pollutants emitted by snowmobiles and other "nonroad" recreational and industrial engines expose those who operate, work or are near these vehicles to significant health risks, including a variety of respiratory ailments and impairment of visual perception and work capacity. Operators of snowmobiles, park rangers and workers are especially susceptible to the risk of deleterious impacts given their exposure to these engines for significant periods of time.

FIND OUT MORE

Information on EPA's proposed standards
FAQs on Emission Standards for Snowmobiles from EPA

The Fight to Improve National Emission Standards for Snowmobiles 

• EPA proposal for controlling emissions from nonroad large spark ignition engines and recreational engines (marine and land-based), as published in the Federal Register (10/5/01)
• Public Health and Environmental Impacts, as Published in the Regulatory Support Document
• Environmental Defense Letters to EPA:
• Snowmobile Lawsuit and Petition for Reconsideration
  • Environmental Defense Urges EPA to Impose Tougher emission standards
  • Environmental Defense Comments on EPA's proposed emission standards
  • Environmental Defense Letter to EPA Administrator and General Counsel
• Society of Automotive Engineers' Clean Snowmobile Challenge - This competition to develop less polluting snowmobile engines demonstrates the viability of cleaner, more fuel efficient machines. This year's entries included a 2-stroke engine built by college students that reduced CO₂ emissions by 99%.

The Debate Over Snowmobile Bans in Yellowstone and Other National Parks

• Air Quality Concerns Related to Snowmobile Usage in National Parks, a report by the National Park Service (February 2000)
• Winter Use Plans for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the National Park Service (3/29/02)
• Carbon Monoxide Exposure by Snowmobile Riders: Emissions Pose Potential Risk, a study by Dr. Lori Marie Snook Fussell, published in the NPS bulletin Park Science, Volume 17 (7/97). [Article has been removed from NPS's Park Science search engine.]  
• Greater Yellowstone Coalition - links to information on Yellowstone protection bills, from a group of organizations advocating protection of the Park's ecosystem and wildlife.
• Article: Interior Dept. Officials Ignore Public Comments on Snowmobile Rule - New York Times  (11/17/02) 
• Article: Bush Plan Would Reverse Clinton Rules, Actually Increase Snowmobiles Allowed in Yellowstone - Los Angeles Times  (11/08/02)
• Article:  Interior Department Objections to Snowmobile Rules Dropped From Report - Associated Press  (9/25/02)
• Article: Snowmobile Ban in Parks May Be Eased - Denver Post (7/26/02)
• Article: Bush Reversing Clinton Administration Ban on Snowmobiles at Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks - New York Times (6/27/02)
• Article: EPA Backs Snowmobile Ban in Yellowstone, Grand Teton Nat'l Parks - New York Times (4/30/02)
• Article: U.S. May Ease Ban on Snowmobiles in Yellowstone, While Workers Are Issued Oxygen Tanks - Associated Press (2/15/02)

Pro and Con: Additional Web Resources

• National Parks Conservation Association - Quiet Winters tells of the threats of snowmobiles to our national parks.
• Skid Marks - Archive of newsletters reporting on efforts to halt motorized abuse of wildland ecosystems, from The Wilderness Society.
• American Council of Snowmobile Associations - Industry lobbying group promoting access for snowmobiles to public lands, including national parks.