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Off-road Vehicles:
regulation of off-highway vehicles
Our Position: oppose
Bill Number: SB1508
Sponsor: Senators Flake and Bennett
Legislative Session: 2006 Legislative Session
SB1508 as amended in the Committee of the Whole establishes an off-highway vehicle (OHV) advisory commission that is totally stacked with OHV users. The commission is not balanced in the least and does not require that the members have expertise in the areas for which it is responsible as outlined in the bill. It does not require expertise with OHV laws, yet says the commission members allocate the money for doing enforcement of OHV laws. It says the commission will allocate dollars for mitigation of land damage, but again requires no expertise in that area. It also says this commission will allocate dollars for necessary environmental, historical, and cultural clearance or compliance activities, yet again, no expertise in that area is required. This is both inappropriate and irresponsible.
Status
They did resurrect a modified version of the bill as a strike everything amendment on HB2686, but it is relatively innocuous and does little, so we are neutral on it. We will continue to monitor it for shenanigans.
Action Needed
No action is currently needed on this bill.
More information
To view the most current strike everything amendment, go to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/47leg/2r/proposed/s.2686306fin.doc.htm
Contact
Sandy Bahr at (602) 252-8633 or sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org
Background
The amendment also swipes the OHV dollars from Arizona State Parks and would risk the jobs of more than a dozen Parks’ employees. This agency is already underfunded and struggling. Please do not contribute to it by passing this bill. We should be providing more funding for parks, not less.
Finally, the amendments also weaken the protections for wildlife and the environment. The original bill said they could not operate OHV’s in a way that “caused damage to or disturbance of wildlife, wildlife habitat, cultural or natural resources . . . . “ This amendment weakens that provision, by requiring that the damage be unlawful under another section of law.
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