Rule banning off road vehicles in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area overturned

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A resolution passed the U.S. Senate Thursday that would allow the use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in areas of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area where it was previously banned.

The use of ORVs and ATVs in Glen Canyon was banned in parts of the park by a National Park Service rule enacted during President Biden’s administration. The resolution was introduced by Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT). Companion legislation passed the House of Representatives last week.

The original rule banned the use of off-road vehicles from an area of Glen Canyon known as the Orange Cliffs Special Management Unit, which makes up 25 miles. The rule was put in place after the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) settled lawsuits against the National Park Service over off-road vehicle management in Glen Canyon, and it was intended to protect the environment and visitor experience in the park.

Sen. Curtis said restoring off-road vehicles in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is a step to ensure that public lands remain accessible for the people, “and not dictated by Washington bureaucrats.”

Senator Curtis also stated:

“Utahns have responsibly accessed Glen Canyon for decades, and Washington’s one-size-fits-all restrictions threatened not only that access but also the livelihoods and traditions of rural communities. This legislation restores the balance between conservation and responsible recreation—something Utahns have always led on.”

SUWA and NPCA have strongly criticized this legislation, calling it an “attack on national parks.” The organizations stressed that the rule did not close any park roads to all motorized vehicle use. The affected roads were only closed to ATVs and OHVs, but they were still open to full size vehicles.

Staff Attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Hanna Larzen stated:

“[Congressional Republicans] voted to undermine the Park Service and instead bowed to extreme motorized recreation in some of the most remote and wild parts of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Today’s action means that Orange Cliffs, Gunsight Butte, and Canyonlands National Park’s Maze District will be impaired by noisy, destructive off-highway vehicles.”

Erika Bollard, Campaign Director of the Southwest Region for the National Parks Conservation Association, said, “The Orange Cliffs is a place of rare solitude and unbelievable beauty that creates the once-in-a-lifetime moments so many come to Glen Canyon to experience. That’s why the Park Service limited off-road vehicles along some of the most sensitive areas and fragile shorelines.”

Bollard also stated that removing protections is unnecessary and damaging, as more than 250 miles in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are already available for off-road vehicle use.

This resolution comes after legislation passed the House of Representatives that would authorize the sale of federal public lands in Utah. That amendment has been similarly controversial among environmental groups.