The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which would
prohibit motorized vehicle access by off-highway
vehicles to more than 2 million acres of public lands, has been revived in the
Senate, according to the American Motorcyclists Association (AMA).
Although the original bill, S. 22, was defeated March 11 in the U.S. House of
Representatives following Senate approval, it has been revived as part of H.R.
146, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Acquisition Grant
Program. The measure bans motorized recreation on 2.1 million acres of public
lands by designating it as wilderness.
"Despite last week's defeat of S. 22 in the House, the Senate is employing
rare tactics to shove this ban through Congress," said Ed Moreland, the
AMA's vice president for government relations. "The AMA is once again
urging all motorcyclists to contact their senators to vote against this bill,
which is an unfair and overly restrictive change to public lands policy.
“Continued responsible access to public lands is a vitally
important right for current and future generations,” Moreland added.
The Senate leadership is employing a little used parliamentary procedure in
response to the House vote on S. 22. Senate leaders have reintroduced the bill
as a 1,300-page amendment to an unrelated piece of legislation for a vote as
early as March 23.
"This demonstrates how serious Senate leaders are about getting this
unreasonable restriction to public land access approved into law,"
Moreland said. "We must be just as vigilant in our response. Time is
short. All motorcyclists and ATV riders need to call their senators now and
insist they vote no on H.R. 146."
The Rights section of www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com provides tools for looking
up phone numbers for all U.S. Senators. The Issues & Legislation page also provides additional
communication options, including e-mail. However, with such short time ahead of
a likely vote, a phone call is the most effective approach.
Immediate action is urgently needed to keep the affected 2.1 million acres of
public lands open to motorized recreation.
