Trump repeals off-road vehicle regulations on public land

Some conservation groups in Idaho and other Western states spoke out Tuesday after President Donald Trump recently repealed executive orders that govern off-road vehicles and over-snow vehicles on public land. 

Trump said the executive orders were outdated and overly restrictive, but several conservationists said they provided consistent guidelines that protected wildlife, habitat and water. 

“If agencies no longer have to minimize the impacts of motorized recreation to water quality, wildlife and other recreationists, we are in danger of degrading the very values of our public lands that draw us there again and again,” John Robison, the Idaho Conservation League’s public lands and wildlife director, wrote. “In the end, everyone will be worse off.” 

On Friday, the White House announced Trump repealed Executive Order 11644 and Executive Order 11989, which he called counterproductive and excessive restrictions. 

“Access to Federal lands benefits all American citizens,” Trump wrote in Friday’s order. Trump wrote that rescinding the executive orders “would facilitate the replacement of current regulations with a system for off-road vehicle use designation that provides more access, recreational opportunities and greater multiple use benefits to the public. It would also restore balanced land management by eliminating ill-defined and arbitrary environmental and social standards, thereby ensuring that all public land users will be granted access on equal terms.” 

President Richard Nixon issued Executive Order 11644 in 1972 and President Jimmy Carter issued Executive Order 11989 in 1977.

Those executive orders required that when government agencies designate trails for off-road vehicle use that those trails be located to minimize damage to soil, vegetation watersheds, wildlife, wildlife habitat and to minimize conflicts between off-road vehicle use and other forms of recreational use.  

“These vague, subjective criteria often result in barriers to energy and timber production and utility maintenance, permit delays and de facto bans on hiking and other forms of recreation that require accessing remote areas, all while doing little to benefit multiple use of federal lands,” Trump added. 

Conservation groups say orders protected wildlife, streams and habitat

In response to Trump’s action, several conservation groups spoke out against repealing the executive orders, saying that the orders protected wildlife, streams and habitat by providing clear and consistent guidance for motorized and nonmotorized use alike. 

“Recreationists of all types enjoy camping next to clean mountain streams, seeing wildlife and enjoying the great outdoors with their friends and family,” Robison wrote. “Public lands managers have relied on the previous executive orders to protect water quality, ensure wildlife have space to roam and preserve high-quality recreation opportunities for everyone.”

Other groups including the Sierra Club, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Wild Montana and the Winter Wildlands Alliance also spoke out.

“If you want to make the public land experience worse for everyone – motorized and non-motorized – blowing up travel management is a good place to start,” Hilary Eisen, federal policy director at Wild Montana, wrote. “It’s how we keep public lands working for everyone. These (executive orders) are the foundation land managers rely on to provide motorized access while protecting wildlife, natural resources, and opportunities for quiet, non-motorized recreation. Getting rid of them to satisfy a tiny minority of users just invites more … conflict, makes public lands more dangerous and degrades public lands and waters. This is a reckless move that could set off a chain reaction that undermines everything we love about our public lands.”

Other conservationists agreed. 

“This executive order puts America’s wild places at risk by prioritizing motorized vehicle access over the protection of wildlife, clean water and public lands,” wrote Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club’s lands protection program “For decades, commonsense safeguards have helped land managers balance motorized recreation with conservation and other types of recreation, ensuring that public lands remain healthy and accessible for everyone.”

“Eliminating responsible motorized management threatens fragile habitats, increases damage to sensitive landscapes and undermines the experiences of people seeking quiet recreation in nature,” Manuel added. “America’s public lands belong to all of us, and future generations deserve the chance to experience wild and thriving places. Instead of weakening protections, we should be strengthening our commitment to conserving the natural heritage that makes these lands so special.”

This story was originally produced by Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Daily Montanan, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.