Chair moves to exempt local rail-trail segment from snowmobile use; committee includes language in T bill

During markup of the T bill on March 18, the chair moved to add language exempting a local rail-trail segment referred to in the record as "BB square" from snowmobile use and to include that language in the T bill for consideration.

The chair said local landowners and a volunteer grooming group that supports cross-country skiing had petitioned for the exemption and asked the committee to attempt to include the change in the bill. “I would make a motion to have that piece added to the T bill,” the chair stated.

Several members opposed adding the provision at markup. Representative Pouch cautioned that many railbanked trails are governed by federal railbanking rules that may permit snowmobile use and warned the state could be required to defend such a change. “If we were to go down that path, I’d be afraid… we’d have to defend it,” Pouch said, urging caution.

Representative White said testimony heard previously suggested existing local mechanisms had not been fully used by petitioners and that the committee should not change legislation before local channels and mediation had been exhausted.

The chair called the question and polled members by hand; the chair reported the motion to include the exemption language in the posted T bill would be made. Committee members planned to walk through the posted T bill changes in a follow-up session before final action.

Next steps: the language was added to the posted T bill changes for the committee to review and consider during final markup.