ATV – House Passes H.R. 3247, The Trail Act of 2004
H.R. 3247, the Trail Responsibility and Accountability for Improving our Lands Act — otherwise called the TRAIL Act of 2004 — was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 28.
Introduced Oct. 3, 2003 by U.S. Representatives Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Scott McInnis (R-CO) and Mark Udall (D-CO), the Trail Act of 2004 was sent to the full House in May after passing through the House Resources Committee.
Sponsors say the Trail Act prevents additional Federal lands and waterways from being closed to recreational use by giving governmental agencies the power to impose significant fines for irresponsible behavior by individuals or groups. The bill also authorizes that fines collected under its provisions be used to rehabilitate lands damaged as a result of the offense which led to the fine.
Federal agencies involved include the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service.
Any individual found guilty of “willfully and knowingly” violating regulations governing the use of public lands will be subject to a Class A misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $100,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year following a jury trial. Any individual found guilty of violating regulations governing the use of public lands will be subject to a Class B misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months.
