What kind of a winter would it be without a controversy over snowmobiles in Yellowstone National park?

The National Park Service approved a plan to reduce snowmobile access to Yellowstone National Park to less than half of current levels. The 318 snowmobiles per day limit will go into effect over the next two winters until the EPA and the NPS can finish studying the complete environmental impact of the park’s use in the winter. Yellowstone is all but inaccessible during snowy months without the use of snowmobiles or snow coaches.

In response, Wyoming’s congressional delegation issued a press release deriding the agency’s decision. “More people should be allowed in the park, not less,” said Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY). Washington and Wyoming have both raised federal lawsuits against the National Parks Service.

The 318 number is above the average daily snowmobile use in Yellowstone last year, but under the peak use by about two hundred. Whether that will cut down visitors on snowmobiles in a big way remains to be seen.

Assuming, of course, the courts don’t change the rules before then.