Access to Utah trails for Americans with disabilities is a key component of the new legislation

Midway, Utah – Federal land managers will have to assess how their plans may affect Americans with disabilities under the new Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act.

This would imply that, should the level of route density drop below a certain threshold, the Bureau of Land Management would have to either construct new motorized vehicle routes or reopen closed ones.
It may surprise you to learn how many individuals depend on motorized mobility for their recreation on public lands.

“When you go around town, you will see ramps, you’ll see elevators, you see all these accommodations for people that are disabled, but when you come out here in the outdoors, there is no accommodations,” said Bud Bruening, President of UTV Utah. “There really isn’t, unless you’re a healthy-bodied American that can walk and hike, you’re really limited on where you can go.”

With the intention of preserving trails accessible to all Americans, Sen. Mike Lee (R) has sponsored the new Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Motorized recreation actually just kind of equals the playing field for everybody, for all taxpayers and every person to enjoy our public lands,” said Bruening. “It’s a group of people that are really overlooked when it comes to the outdoors.”

The new law, supported by UTV Utah, the Blue Ribbon Coalition, and other off-roading groups, would mandate that the Bureau of Land Management maintain a specific number of routes open on public land that is already maintained for dual use.

“Federal land managers have to analyze if they close too many routes, they get below a certain level of route density, they have to either reopen closed routes that have been closed previously or build new ones,” said Ben Burr, Executive Director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition.

As part of a settlement deal to save the environment and animals, the BLM has been blocking off-road pathways in new plans. According to Burr, the bill is not asking for the construction of new trails, but rather for the preservation of something that off-roaders have always had.

“Americans with disabilities are a protected class under the law and under the constitution, and so we think it’s important that they do consider this and that they have statutory rights codified into American law that spell out how they can do that meaningfully,” he said.