AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST FEBRUARY 2019

Court Deals Blow To OHV Access

20,000 Miles Of Trails Affected

A federal appeals court in December affirmed a 2017 agreement between the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and several environmental groups affecting motorized access to thousands of miles of existing trails and roads in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The agreement between 10 environmental groups and the BLM required the agency to revise plans after a lower court ruled the BLM didn’t properly document the effect OHVs could have on cultural resources.

U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a challenge to that agreement from the state of Utah and others. The state unsuccessfully argued the deal illegally limited the current administration.

The agreement covers wilderness provisions in plans affecting 20,000 miles of motorized routes on 6 million acres.