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Committee advances bill to charge $5 per rented snowmobile to fund grooming; Fish, Wildlife & Parks to administer grants
Summary
Senate Bill 165 would add a $5 fee to snowmobile rentals to support grooming grants to local clubs. Proponents said tourists and rental users overload groomed trails; Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff said collected funds would be distributed by the existing grant process. Committee voted to pass the bill.
Senator Barry Usher described Senate Bill 165 as a narrowly targeted measure to add a $5 fee to each rented snowmobile, with revenue allocated to grooming grants for local snowmobile clubs. Supporters said tourism-driven rentals have increased trail wear in areas such as West Yellowstone and Seeley Lake and that rental companies had been left out of the existing trail-pass program.
Fred Bailey, president of the Montana Snowmobile Association,…
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