A new generation of snowmobiles, approved for use in Yellowstone National Park after being promoted as cleaner and quieter, emit more pollution than models produced two years ago, according to test data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The controversial decision to allow snowmobiles in Yellowstone was based on industry promises that models with new engines would produce less pollution to foul the air and water in the nation's oldest national park.
But recent tests on the 2004 models show that the machines produce from 40% to 213% more emissions than 2002 models.
Officials from the Department of the Interior and Yellowstone will meet with industry leaders in Washington on Friday to discuss the implications of the findings and their potential impact on the park's decision to reverse a Clinton-era decision to ban the machines.
The Bush administration's move to reverse the snowmobile ban in Yellowstone and neighboring Grand Teton National Park was predicated on assurances from manufacturers that new technology would produce models that would reduce harmful emissions and run more quietly.
"We started this all in good faith," said Yellowstone spokeswoman Marsha Karle. "We based our decision on the fact that the machines would continue to be cleaner and quieter and the industry would work toward that end."
The tests on different types of Polaris and Arctic Cat snowmobiles measured emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. Of the three models tested, one didn't pass the emissions standards set by the park and another failed to operate within permissible noise levels.
Measured by another, more conservative method, none of the new machines met the park's standards.
It is not clear which of the two measurements the park will use when certifying snowmobiles for use in Yellowstone, but a park service official said Wednesday that the stricter standard could be enforced more efficiently.
In addition, none of the new machines came close to bettering the emission levels of the 2002 models. By one measure, the latest model produced more than double the hydrocarbons.
"So, when they say 'cleaner and quieter,' you wonder, 'In relation to what?' " said Jon Catton, a Montana conservationist who has lobbied for the snowmobile ban, which was to have taken effect last winter.
A spokesman for Minnesota-based Polaris Industries, the world's largest snowmobile manufacturer, would not comment. Officials with Arctic Cat Inc., also based in Minnesota, could not be reached.
