Lawmakers say controversial ‘Wild Lands’ policy being resurrected

PICKERINGTON, OH – August 2, 2012 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Some powerful federal lawmakers say the U.S. Interior Department has unilaterally resurrected the controversial Wild Lands policy that Congress terminated last year, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar initially unveiled the Wild Lands policy on Dec. 22, 2010. Under the policy, lands designated as Wild Lands by the federal Bureau of Land Management would be managed as if they had received the restrictive Wilderness land-use designation from Congress. The policy circumvents any congressional input. When Congress designates an area as Wilderness — one of the strictest forms of public land management — nearly all forms of non-pedestrian recreation become illegal.

The Wild Lands policy announcement shocked the off-highway vehicle riding community because it was expected to have a far-reaching impact. The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land nationwide, primarily in 12 western states. Federal lawmakers considered the policy a “land grab” and a blatant attempt to usurp congressional authority.

Because of opposition from powerful federal lawmakers, governors, the AMA and other OHV enthusiasts, the Wild Lands policy hit a major snag on April 15, 2011.

That’s when President Obama signed into law the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution — the funding measure that kept the federal government operating through Sept. 30, 2011 — which included language barring the Interior Department from using any funds to implement the Wild Lands land-use policy to manage land as if it had been designated as Wilderness.

On Aug. 2, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) announced that Wild Lands has been revived.

A news release from Bishop’s office states that BLM guidance manuals recently discovered by Bishop and Hatch show that the Interior Department “has resurrected the controversial Wild Lands policy killed by Congress in April 2011. Included in the manuals is language directly lifted from Secretarial Order 3310 and its supporting documents, known as the DOI’s Wild Lands memo, illustrating how BLM employees are to identify and manage lands with wilderness characteristics.

“Congressman Rob Bishop and Senator Orrin Hatch, along with other senators and representatives from the West, today issued a letter to Secretary Ken Salazar outlining concerns and questions about the DOI’s efforts to re-establish Wild Lands through the new guidance manuals,” the news release said.

“Even though these proposals have already been overwhelmingly rejected, the administration is attempting to administratively put these policies in place,” Hatch said. “This proposal will give Washington bureaucrats more control over the lands in Utah and across the West. It’s wrong, and the Interior Department needs to stop trying to keep the public off public lands.”

Said Bishop: “I am troubled and angered by similarities found between the contents of the handbooks and the defunct Wild Lands proposal. This is clearly an effort to establish ‘Wild Lands 2.0′ and abandons all previous commitments Secretary Salazar made to me and many other western members to work openly and collaboratively on new land management practices.

“Excerpts within these handbooks clearly depict a thinly veiled effort on behalf of this administration to further limit access to our nation’s public lands,” he said. “I expect a prompt response from Secretary Salazar and will continue to pursue this issue to ensure that the livelihoods of westerners are protected.”

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists’ interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the AMA honors the heroes and the heritage of motorcycling for future generations. For more information, please visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

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Lawmakers back ban on motorcycle-only checkpoints, support crash prevention efforts

PICKERINGTON, OH – May 26, 2011 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Federal lawmakers have sent a bipartisan letter to the leadership of a key U.S. House committee to urge support for a bill that prohibits federal funding for motorcycle-only traffic checkpoints, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

The lawmakers are also urging support for a measure to retain a ban on lobbying at the state level by a federal traffic safety agency.

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and his colleagues sent the letter on May 25 to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as well as to the panel’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

The letter asks the panels to include H.R. 904 and H.Res. 239 in the surface transportation reauthorization bill now being considered by Congress.

H.R. 904 would prohibit the U.S. Transportation Secretary from providing grants or any funds to a state or local government to be used for programs to check helmet usage or to create motorcycle-only checkpoints.

H.Res. 239 would support efforts to retain a ban on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) ability to lobby state legislators using federal tax dollars and urges the agency to focus on motorcycle crash prevention and rider education and training.

“These important pieces of legislation would ensure that the Department of Transportation (DOT) and NHTSA focus on proven methods of motorcycle safety,” the letter said. “NHTSA’s Motorcycle Law Enforcement Demonstration Program has not proven to be an effective use of taxpayer dollars.

“Through this program, the state of Georgia was provided a $70,000 grant to create motorcycle-only checkpoints to inspect rider compliance with DOT-compliant helmet regulations,” the letter said. “The checkpoints are not a proven method of ensuring motorcyclist safety, and have certainly not been an effective use of limited federal taxpayer dollars.

“We take motorcycle safety seriously and want NHTSA to focus its safety efforts on proven lifesaving methods,” the letter said. “Including H.R. 904 and H.Res. 239 in the surface transportation reauthorization bill would set the record straight, that the House of Representatives supports rider education, driver awareness, training and proper licensing as the best methods of preventing motorcycle crashes, not mandatory federal helmet laws.”

In addition to Sensenbrenner, others who signed the letter include Reps. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.), Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa), Reid Ribble (R-Wis.), Ron Paul (R-Texas), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Bob Filner (D-Calif.), Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.)

To see the letter, go to: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Libraries/Rights_Documents_Federal/5_25_2011_Sensenbrenner_TransportationComm.sflb.ashx?download=true.

SOURCE: American Motorcyclist Association

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AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb Rally Urges Lawmakers to Support Kids’ Off-Highway Riding

WASHINGTON, DC – May 26, 2011 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Hundreds of young motorcyclists, their parents and concerned riders gathered with several U.S. representatives, including Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), author of the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, in Washington, D.C., Thursday, May 26, at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Family Capitol Hill Climb. The event was a strong demonstration of public opposition to a ban on the sale of youth-model motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

Families from as far away as Washington state, Arizona and Colorado delivered their message at a gathering in the Rayburn House Office Building. The parents and children then met with their individual lawmakers to personally urge support for H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act.

The bill is intended to exclude kid-sized machines that were inadvertently ensnared in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. The CPSIA was intended to ban small toys with high lead content, but because of broadly written language, it has been interpreted to apply to all products for kids 12 and under, including dirtbikes, ATVs, bicycles, clothing and books.

“It’s been clear from the start that motorcycles should never have been part of this ban, and nobody delivers that message better than AMA members — young riders and their parents for whom off-road riding is an important family activity,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “We helped bring them together, but it is their voices, and the voices of thousands of other motorcyclists from across the country, that are crucial to ending the ban.”

In response to the outcry from AMA members and others, officials issued a stay of enforcement of the CPSIA, but did not eliminate it entirely. The stay is set to expire at the end of the year. The AMA and its members, as well as many other motorcycling groups have urged passage of the Kids Just Want to Ride Act to fully exempt kid-sized machines.

Speaking at the rally, Rehberg urged action by his fellow legislators to stop the ban. Not only does the ban hurt small businesses and jobs, but it forces kids to ride motorcycles and ATVs that are physically too large for their small statures.

“I feel pretty confident that we’re on the right side of the issue,” Rehberg said. “People say to me, ‘This just lacks common sense — what is going on here?’ This is what gives Congress a bad name … You’re putting our children at risk, and we’re not going to allow you to do that.”

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) noted that parents, not government, know best how to make sure their kids stay safe.

“This is a great instance of where the government just doesn’t get it,” West said. “These kids are the responsibility of the parents. If the parents can make sure these kids are safe, and if parents can make sure they go out and enjoy a little bit of something that’s part of who we are in America — enjoying these little dirtbikes — then let the parents decide.”

Motorcycling is a healthy activity that should be encouraged, not curtailed by over-reaching government laws, said bill co-sponsor Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.). “That’s what I’d rather have my kids do, to get outdoors and get some exercise…and ride their bikes,” he said.

Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), another co-sponsor of the bill, said that stopping a law that shouldn’t have ensnared dirtbikes in the first place only makes sense.

“It’s one of those very simple things to take on,” Schilling said. “It’s another thing where the government wants to intrude in our daily lives, and this is a simple thing for me to jump on. I just really appreciate that everyone came out here to show support for the bill.”

Ashley Nash-Hahn, appearing on behalf of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), spoke in support of the kids and parents who made the trek to Washington, D.C. “I’m so excited to tell her that we have all these young motorcycle riders here learning how to be safe,” Nash-Hahn said.

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), an AMA Life Member, said it was time to end the ban.

“For government to step in, in non-common-sensical ways, and not even consider what legislation might do to families who want to spend time together, to businesses that want to provide products and services for them … now, to ratchet that back, is the wrong way to go,” Walberg said.

Among the kids and parents attending were Erin, 11, Adi, 7, and Carter, 5, Malcolm of Littleton, Colo., who, along with their parents, Danny and Peggy, won a trip to Washington, D.C., in the AMA’s “Kids Just Want to Ride” video contest.

Dingman noted that demonstrations of support like the AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb are vital in making the case to Congress that the CPSIA should not include motorcycles and ATVs.

“It’s AMA members like those here today, and the thousands of others who have made their feelings known to their congressional representatives, that help make real change occur,” Dingman said. “All motorcyclists owe a debt of gratitude to the people in this room — kids, parents, congressional representatives who support this legislation, and more. We are making a very real difference here today.”

To date, more than 70 members of Congress have signed on to co-sponsor H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, but its passage is by no means assured. That’s why the AMA is rallying motorcyclists in Washington, D.C., and urging others to tell their lawmakers to support Rehberg’s bill. Easy-to-use tools to contact members of Congress are available at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues & Legislation.

About the American Motorcyclist Association

Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists’ interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through its support of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations. For more information, please visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

SOURCE: American Motorcyclist Association

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50 lawmakers now support The Kids Just Want to Ride Act

PICKERINGTON, OH – March 3, 2011 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Legislation that would exempt kids’ dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) from the “lead law” that effectively bans them at the end of the year is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

There are now 50 co-sponsors to H.R. 412: The Kids Just Want to Ride Act, which was introduced by Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) The bill seeks to exempt kids’ off-highway vehicles (OHVs) from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, which is also known as the lead law.

The CPSIA bans the making, importing, distributing or selling of any product intended for children 12 and under that contains more than a specified amount of lead in any accessible part. It also requires all children’s products undergo periodic testing by independent laboratories approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which is responsible for implementing the law.

The CPSC has delayed enforcing key portions of the law until after the end of the year. Unless the CPSIA is changed by then, the sale of child-sized dirtbikes and ATVs will effectively be banned.

“As a motorcycling enthusiast myself for many years, I fully respect the importance of improving the safety of kids who ride off-highway motorcycles and ATVs,” said Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.), one of the latest co-sponsors. “But this is just another example of regulations creating the exact opposite effect of their original intent. This law actually makes kids less safe by eliminating appropriately sized off-highway motorcycles and ATVs, and forces young riders onto larger and more powerful machines not designed for them.

“I’m proud to support the Kids Just Want to Ride Act and know that it will keep youth-sized motorcycles and ATVs available for safe and responsible use as they are intended,” Ribble said.

Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.), another co-sponsor, said: “The Kids Just Want to Ride Act will fix the illogical mandate of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and will once again allow our children to safely enjoy outdoor recreational vehicles. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this common-sense legislation to protect our youth while working to create jobs.”

Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president for government relations, thanked lawmakers for their bipartisan backing of the bill. He noted it’s important to get as many co-sponsors as possible to increase the bill’s chances of passage.

Moreland urged all concerned riders and parents to contact their federal lawmakers to ask for support.

The easiest way to contact lawmakers is through the Rights section of the AMA website at AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

In addition to Ribble and Landry, the latest co-sponsors of the Kids Just Want to Ride bill include Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Mark Critz (D-Pa.), Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), John Kline (R-Minn.), Tom Latham (R-Iowa), Pete Olson (R-Texas), Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.).

For more information, go to
http://capwiz.com/amacycle/go/HR412
.

SOURCE: American Motorcyclist Association

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Federal Lawmakers Seek Delay in Enforcement of Lead Law

PICKERINGTON, OH – January 10, 2011 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – More than a dozen federal lawmakers are asking the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to delay enforcement of the so-called lead law that effectively bans the sale of kid-sized dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) drafted the letter and circulated it for other lawmakers to sign before sending it to the CPSC.

The CPSC — charged with carrying out the law known as the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 — has already postponed enforcement of a key portion of the law until May 1. The lawmakers want the federal agency to delay the enforcement even longer so that the current Congress can tackle the issue.

“It’s clear the Consumer Product Safety Commission overstepped the intent of the law,” said Rehberg. “The original legislation Congress passed was meant to keep kids safe from lead content in toys. Ironically, the overreaching enforcement puts kids at risk by forcing them to use larger, more dangerous machines that are intended only for adults. An extension of the current stay will provide the necessary time for Congress to fix this problem once and for all.”

The CPSIA bans the making, importing, distributing or selling of any product intended for children 12 and under that contains more than a specified amount of lead in any accessible part. Aimed at children’s toys, the law also ensnared kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs because trace levels of lead can be found in parts such as batteries and brake calipers.

The law also requires all children’s products be tested by independent laboratories approved by the CPSC and be certified that they comply with the law.

“We do not believe the original intent of the CPSIA was to include these vehicles in the Act’s lead-ban provisions, and we support legislation that would permanently exclude them from the lead ban,” the lawmakers said in a Jan. 4 letter to the CPSC.

“As you know, it is extremely important that young motorcycle and ATV riders use only appropriately sized machines,” the lawmakers wrote. “The CPSC, user groups, and the motorcycle and ATV industry all agree that children suffer fewer injuries when they are kept from riding large ATVs designed for adults. The failure to extend the current stay (of enforcement) would be counterproductive to the work that has already been accomplished in promoting youth rider safety.”

“Because of the broad definition of ‘children’s products’ within the CPSIA and the CPSC’s interpretation of the lead provision, a permanent legislative solution is needed to exempt the youth-model ATVs and off-highway motorcycles from the lead ban,” the lawmakers wrote. “We ask the commission to extend the current deadline so that we may address this issue during the 112th Congress.”

To view the letter in its entirety, follow this link:
http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/assets/pdf/CPSC_Letter_Final_January_2011.pdf
.

Besides Rehberg, others who signed the letter are Reps. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.), Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), Ron Paul (R-Texas), Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Adrian Smith (Neb.), John Kline (R-Minn.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

“It’s encouraging to see these members of the House are stepping up and asking the CPSC to delay enforcement of the law,” said Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president for government relations. “This sends a clear signal that the issue is on the radar of federal lawmakers and they plan to work to solve the problem so that kids have access to right-sized machines.”

“Now we must show our support,” Moreland said. “With members of the 112th Congress now rolling up their sleeves to get to work, it’s important for all concerned parents and riders to contact their federal lawmakers in the House and Senate to change the lead law. Kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs need to be exempt from the lead-content portion of the CPSIA.”

To contact federal lawmakers today, go to the AMA website at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues and Legislation and follow the simple instructions.

About the American Motorcyclist Association

Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists’ interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through its support of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations. For more information, please visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

CONTACT: James Holter, +1-614-856-1900, ext. 1280, jholter@ama-cycle.org

SOURCE: American Motorcyclist Association

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