Park Paddling

Paddling bill redux.

Wyoming representative Cynthia Lummis is taking another stroke with her park-paddling bill. HR 974, the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Paddling Act—which would allow the use of hand-propelled vessels on select rivers in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks—was reintroduced on February 13. According to Lummis’s PR director, Joe Spiering, this version addresses “concerns articulated by the National Park Service and other stakeholders,” such as “ensuring that the National Park Service remains in charge of all management and supervision of access for paddlers,” among other issues. The bill currently sits in committee, but Lummis’s camp is “confident that the revised and improved legislation will see its day on the House floor,” according to Spiering. That being said, no previous version of the bill has made it to vote, and with a full plate for Congress, it’s difficult to say whether this version will be any different.