THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Monday June 18, 2001
U.S. District Judge Dee Benson is considering a request by an environmentalist group to halt an all-terrain vehicle rally that attracts about 350 people to Millard County.
Every June for the past 13 years, hundreds of ATV enthusiasts have flocked to the central Utah town of Fillmore. County officials said the event in the Fishlake National Forest generates about $150,000.
The Utah Environmental Congress filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service in May, alleging it failed to comply with laws that govern the issuance of commercial permits.
The lawsuit claims the Environmental Congress was denied the right to appeal the Forest Service's decision to issue a special-use permit for the rally because the federal agency granted a "categorical exclusion."
The UEC wants the event, scheduled for June 26-30, canceled.
The group said that would allow time to review the Forest Service's environmental assessment of the land and decide what harm ATV riders pose to endangered species and plants, soil erosion and watershed.
Benson heard arguments in the lawsuit Friday. He is expected to rule today on whether to issue a temporary restraining order that would block this year's jamboree.
Forest Service attorney Carlie Christensen said the agency adhered to federal laws. She said reports conclude the impact to the Fillmore area is "virtually nonexistent."
