Dueling stories in the NY Times and LA Times today on a document that would loosen restrictions on what qualifies as recreation and is allowed in national parks. The changes, which would allow snowmobiles, cell phone towers, and low-flying tour planes, are the “brainchild” of Paul Hoffman, a “high-ranking appointee at the Interior Department” according to the Times.
The change that’s getting the most attention is the insertion of “irreversibly” into the language describing what makes a use illegal, to the effect that a use that harms the park’s resources but does not do so “irreversibly” would be just fine.
400 Park Service employees have started a campaign to block the plan.
Marketplace has a slightly more humorous title.
