Congress gears up for ATVs

By Mark Samuels


SPRINGFIELD — Two pieces of legislation just introduced in the Illinois General Assembly are aimed at revving up recreational opportunities for riders of all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs.

The first, Senate Bill 2273, boosts from 60 to 92 percent the amount of money the state’s Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund must allocate toward motorized recreation. The measure also would limit to 8 percent the portion of the fund that could be used for administration, enforcement, planning and implementation costs.

It is the brainchild of Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, who said Friday he wants to see the money used to buy land and build trails for ATV users. His proposal would not allow the construction of trails on properties already owned by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, or DNR.

He said ATV enthusiasts “pay good money” for their vehicles, and that all the money in the fund comes from the title and sticker fees they pay, “so they deserve places to ride and all the money in the fund should be spent on them.”

He pointed to reclaim AMAX strip mine property between Marion and Harrisburg as one example of an appropriate site DNR could acquire for off-road trails. His stipulation that all of the fund’s money go toward ATV trails highlights riders’ gripes that DNR has been using the fund to pay for the wages of conservation police. In the last three years, DNR has diverted over $214,000 from the fund.

The second measure introduced also amends the Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund. It is sponsored by Sen. Denny Jacobs, D-East Moline. He wants to remove the prohibition against building trails on land DNR already owns or manages.

Trying to offer a middle ground between ATV enthusiasts and environmentalists, Gov. Rod Blagojevich altered that bill’s language with his amendatory veto power when it hit his desk. The governor’s change would have allowed ATV trails to be built only on recreation areas acquired by the state in the future not on land currently owned or managed by DNR.

But the General Assembly failed to call the bill for an override vote in the November veto session. Since the veto was not overridden, nor the governor’s change accepted, the bill died and it was back to square one.

Blagojevich has indicated that he still opposes building ATV trails in existing state parks, but Jacobs said he is ready to fine tune the measure this time around.

“We’ll make it more explicit that we’re talking about areas DNR might own such as strip mine property or old gravel pits, not in areas like Blackhawk State Park, Dixon Springs, Wayne Fitzgerrell or Eagle Creek,” Jacobs said. ”That was the problem last time.”

Mark Samuels can be contacted via mark.samuelslee.net, or at (217) 753-1410.

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