From Friday's CNN:
CHEYENNE, Wyoming (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday struck down a ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, calling it a "prejudged, political" move that sought to exclude the vehicles from all national parks.
U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer ruled that the Clinton-era ban was invalid because it did not involve adequate public participation and failed to follow federal law. His decision could clear the way for new rules that allow the machines.
The rule was "the product of a prejudged, political decision to ban snowmobiles from all the national parks," Brimmer wrote.
The National Park Service was expected to issue new snowmobile rules next month in time for the winter recreation season.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal praised the judge's decision, saying it recognized "the fundamentally unfair nature of the ban and ensured that citizens will get to see their national park."
Attorneys for snowmobile manufacturers, winter resorts and other tourism-related ventures asked Brimmer last month to permanently lift the ban so businesses could have peace of mind about their survival.
The ban, adopted during the Clinton administration and set to take effect last winter, was set aside in early 2003 by the park service to settle a lawsuit filed by snowmobile makers. Under the agreement, new rules were drafted to allow a limited number of snowmobiles inside the parks.
Brimmer's Washington colleague, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, later overturned the regulations and ordered the ban to begin this year. Brimmer set aside Sullivan's decision in February.
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