Christopher Shays: “I rise in support of the Holt-Shays-Rahall-Johnson Amendment to protect Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. I…”

“I rise in support of the Holt-Shays-Rahall-Johnson Amendment to protect Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. I believe protecting and preserving our environment is one of the most important duties we have as members of Congress. We simply won't have a world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways. Our predecessors understood the preservation of our natural resources was a moral and patriotic obligation. It was their vision and foresight that led to the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. The creation of our first national park was a far-sighted guarantee each new generation would inherit a healthy and vibrant Yellowstone, a park complete with wildlife, majestic vistas and awe-inspiring geysers. But snowmobiles have put the park's health in jeopardy. When they roar through the park, they generate tremendous noise and pollution, forcing our park rangers to wear respirators to combat the noxious cloud of blue smoke in which they work. The harm caused by snowmobile use in Yellowstone has been scientifically proven, studied further, and proven yet again. Over the past decade the Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and independent experts have conducted extensive studies and always reached the same conclusion: a phase-out of snowmobiles is necessary to restore Yellowstone's health.”