Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee is once again challenging the limits of federal government oversight over the use of motorized vehicles on public lands.
Lee, who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has in the past week introduced three bills he says would help open access to public lands by allowing increased access to off-highway vehicles and other motorized transportation such as e-bikes.
The centerpiece is S. 2968, which would require federal land management agencies to greatly expand motorized vehicle access for the stated purpose of providing greater access to individuals who would not be able to use public lands by hiking, bicycle or other nonmotorized means.
The “Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act,” co-sponsored by fellow Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis, would direct the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to establish a category of “disability-accessible land” — defined as square mile segments with 2.5 miles of motorized trails — and to incorporate them into travel management plans.
