4x4Wire

“We are elated that the Forest Service has begun the process of reopening these trails, and we want to thank the Forest Service officials and the Friends of Rattlesnake Bay member volunteers for their hard work that made this day possible,” said Dale Tallman Jr., volunteer coordinator for the Friends of Rattlesnake Bay.

The AMA became involved in the effort at Tallman’s request. Steve Salisbury, AMA government affairs manager for off-highway issues, assisted Tallman, Fred Pittman, Robert Rockco and other Mississippi riders in forming the Friends of Rattlesnake Bay to facilitate Forest Service negotiations with a unified voice.

The initial reopening was made possible by the February approval of a recreation fee structure from the U.S. Forest Service Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee and cooperation between the USFS and Friends of Rattlesnake Bay. Volunteers from the OHV group helped USFS crews complete the needed repairs to the trails in late August.

Joining Allard in the OMB meeting and a subsequent press conference were representatives of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, the BoatUS Foundation, the Environmental Working Group, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, ActionAid, Friends of the Earth, the National Restaurant Association and the National Taxpayers Union.

Since the 2005 inception of the RFS, the EPA has annually increased the required volume of ethanol fuel that producers must blend into their products. In 2014, the EPA proposed for the first time a reduction from the statutory requirements. The agency correctly cited the fuel market's inability to sustain further increases without harming motorists, retailers and refiners.

The AMA supports the EPA's fall 2014 RFS proposal.

Allard also raised these concerns: