The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has drafted new rules for off-road vehicles (ORVs) that would not necessarily lead to new limits on their use but would give managers in the field more leeway to clamp down in order to protect the environment. The new strategy by the BLM, which manages more land than any other federal agency, would extend to human-powered modes of transportation such as mountain bikes and in-line skates, as well as Jeeps, motorbikes, and dune buggies. The BlueRibbon Coalition, an ORV-user advocacy group, is complaining that the new rules would lead to most BLM land being made off-limits, while some enviros say the plan wouldn’t go far enough in reining in ORV use. The proposal is open for public comment through early January.
