Friday, June 28, 2002: Please forward this on to interested individuals who enjoy protecting their National Parks..... PEOPLE LOSE YELLOWSTONE TO INDUSTRY; HOPE LIES IN CONGRESS http://www.npca.org/take_action/action_alerts/ The National Park Service proposed this week to allow snowmobile use to continue in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks despite strong public opposition and sound science supporting a ban. In making this decision, the Bush Administration is ignoring the overwhelming amount of public comment that favored the phase-out of snowmobiles proposed by the Park Service in 1999. The Park Service received 350,000 comments on this issue, 80 percent favoring the phase-out. The Bush Administration has called this response "emotional" and "polarizing," not only robbing the American people of their voice but belittling them for speaking. The Administration also has ignored EPA opinion that phasing out snowmobiles offers the best protection for the parks and park visitors. The Yellowstone Protection Act, proposed in the House by representatives Rush Holt and Christopher Shays, if enacted would save the parks by initiating the phase-out. The bill also has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Harry Reid. Thanks in part to your letters, the House has gained more than 120 cosponsors for the bill as well as bipartisan support in both houses. We'll soon be looking to you to support the bill with your delegations. TAKE ACTION: Please visit http://www.npca.org/take_action/action_alerts/ or use the talking points and contact information below to urge your representative to *strongly* support the Yellowstone Protection Act. If your Representative is already a cosponsor (visit http://thomas.loc.gov to find out), please thank them for their leadership. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]