Yellowstone snowmobile plan halted

A federal judge in Washington threw out plans to allow more than 500 snowmobiles a day into Yellowstone National Park, drawing sharp criticism from Wyoming’s congressional delegation and snowmobiling advocates but praise from conservationists.

The National Park Service’s Winter Use Plan would have allowed 540 snowmobiles to go through Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway every day, starting this winter.

But U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled that the plan would increase air pollution, disturb wildlife and cause too much noise.