WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 21, 2013) — The Specialty Equipment Marketers Association's (SEMA) Action Network is urging members of both the U.S. House and Senate to vote on legislation to re-open recreational access at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina.
A U.S. Senate committee has amended S486 to require the secretary of the interior to conduct a study to determine how wildlife buffer restrictions can be reduced to allow for expanded off-highway vehicle recreation. The study would determine the smallest area necessary to protect local species while opening new pedestrian and vehicle corridors around the protected land, according to SEMA. The study report would be due one year after enactment of the law.
S486, which awaits consideration by the full Senate, was originally identical to the House bill before being amended.
The House bill (HR819) would reverse a 2012 management plan issued by the National Park Service that banned OHV access to large portions of the seashore. HR819 currently awaits action by the House Judiciary Committee. SEMA said the legislation would reinstate a previous management strategy that balances wildlife protections with responsible OHV access.