Trump Revokes Environmental Protections for Off-Road Vehicles on Public Lands
In a significant policy shift, President Donald Trump has overturned two decades-old executive orders aimed at regulating off-road vehicle usage on national parks and public lands. These orders, initially established by Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, were designed to curb environmental damage and preserve natural landscapes.
The first order, signed by Nixon in 1972, set rules for off-highway vehicles such as snowmobiles and motorcycles, focusing on preventing harm to the environment’s natural, aesthetic, and scenic values. Carter’s 1977 order empowered land managers to restrict off-road driving if it posed environmental risks.
The Trump administration has labeled these regulations as “outdated and burdensome,” arguing that they create unnecessary barriers to energy production, utility maintenance, and recreational activities. “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,” reads the May 29 order. For more details, see Trump’s order.
While the new directive specifically addresses rules that minimize wildlife harassment and habitat disruption, it does not immediately rescind environmental protections or reopen closed trails. Such actions would still necessitate federal review and public feedback.
The use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) has significantly increased, with Arizona witnessing a 347% surge over the past ten years, according to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
Conservationists express concern that revoking these executive orders could lead to irreversible damage in areas like the Arizona Strip, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Laura Peterson, a senior attorney at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, stated in a press release, “These executive orders provided the foundation for common-sense management of motorized vehicles on public lands, recognizing the detrimental impact unmanaged motor vehicles have on cultural sites, wildlife, waterways and other public land users. The impacts of repealing these executive orders will be long-lasting and devastating.”
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