By R.A. DILLON
Staff Writer
JUNEAU--A bill that would allow the use of off-road vehicles along the Dalton Highway was killed in committee on Tuesday.
The legislation sponsored by Fairbanks Republican Sen. Ralph Seekins would remove a prohibition on the use of snowmachines and four-wheelers in a five-mile corridor along the Dalton Highway that's been in place since the road was built.
Members of the House Transportation Committee failed to move the bill out of committee on a 3-2 vote.
Reps. Mary Kapsner, D-Bethel, Woody Salmon, D-Beaver, and Jim Elkins, R-Ketchikan, voted against the bill.
Reps. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, and Mark Neuman, R-Wasilla, voted in favor of lifting the ban.
Rep. Vic Kohring, R-Wasilla, left the meeting before the vote was taken. Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, did not attend.
Seekins said the intent of the bill is to increases public access to a large area of state-owned land for recreational and hunting opportunities. "There should be equal access for everyone, whether they're rural or urban," he said.
Opponents argue the bill will step up hunting pressure in the area, damage the tundra and increase the public safety risk.
"There was a lot of opposition to this bill from a lot of walks of life and we're glad it got voted down," said Rob Cadmus, community organizer for the Northern Alaska Environmental Center.
Kapsner agreed: "The people of the region don't want it opened and their wishes should be honored."
Off-road vehicles are currently prohibited from driving inside a five-mile corridor on either side of the highway between the Yukon River and the Arctic Coast.
"Alaska is a very big state and we already have so many acres of land that are accessible by ATVs," Kapsner said.
Seekins said he's worked to answer valid concerns over the bill and that opposition was purely political.
"I knew before I asked for the hearing that some of these members had made commitments against the bill and I know why," he said. "I wanted them on the record that they oppose allowing people to recreate above the Yukon River."
Seekins vowed to resurrect the bill next year.
"This isn't over. It's just another round," he said. "We're going to keep trying until all Alaska is available to all Alaskans."
Kapsner pointed out that people are already allowed to walk, ski or use dogpower to access the area.
"It's currently accessible to all Alaskans, just not with ATVs and off-road vehicles," she said.
The bill is Senate Bill 85.
Staff writer R.A. Dillon can be reached at (907) 463-4893 or rdillon@newsminer.com .