Urge Legislators to Oppose the Majority Report and Support CA-B!
Tomorrow morning the Maine Senate will take up LD 19, “An Act to Change the Definition of “Oversized ATV” in the Laws Governing the Registration of All-terrain Vehicles.” LD 19 is coming to the Senate with three committee amendments.
- CA-A, the majority report, would increase the weight limit on oversized ATVs allowed to be registered in Maine from 2,000 to 2,950 pounds, against the consensus recommendation of the LD 1308 working group report.
- CA-B, Senator Stacey Guerin’s report, would advance a number of the consensus recommendations from the LD 1308 report to strengthen Maine’s trail network, support landowners who host ATV trails and address the top priority recommendation to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws. This report would also allow for a handicapped exemption with clear guardrails and enforcement support for our game wardens.
- CA-C, supported only by one member of the IFW Committee, would allow for a broad handicapped exemption with no guardrails to prevent abuse. It also fails to consider the recommendations from the LD 1308 working group.
Last session, the Senate unanimously supported LD 1308 to pull together a working group, which included a thorough stakeholder engagement process with three state departments (ACF, IFW and DECD), representatives of all types of landowners and recreational user groups, worked diligently to tackle access issues through a collaborative consensus process. The final consensus report, which directly speaks to the issue of oversize ATVs, includes “a comprehensive set of recommendations to strengthen the access tradition.”
CA-A, the majority report, completely ignores the work of this group, advancing an unsupported weight increase that threatens the future of Maine’s connected and expansive trail network – the envy of the Northeast.
Page 7 of the LD 1308 report back states: “Any efforts to increase the current weight restrictions for UTVs would likely result in significant closures of hundreds of miles of trail, fragmenting the connected trail system that recreators enjoy today. Off-highway vehicle use represents a significant and expanding sector of Maine’s outdoor recreation economy; however, most of these trails are located on private land, and landowners typically receive no direct financial benefit despite bearing the risks of damage, liability, and maintenance.”
The lack of enforcement of the current rules coupled with increased pressure over recent years has pushed Maine’s ATV trail network to the brink. CA-A rewards those who have taken advantage of the lack of enforcement, betraying landowners who graciously host these trails. We urge lawmakers to consider the following:
- When the current size restrictions went into place in 2020, there were roughly 350 “oversized” ATVs registered in Maine that were grandfathered. The IFW Committee heard an estimation recently from ATV Maine that we now have between 10,000-15,000 oversized ATVs registered illegally because ATV dealers have largely disregarded Maine’s regulations.
- DIFW provided statistics to IFW on the number of violations that have been addressed related to oversized ATVs since 2024. Of the potentially thousands of illegally registered machines, only seven summonses have been issued since 2024 and out of that seven, less than half have resulted in a conviction. This disparity is a major, multi-faceted problem that must be addressed before any discussions about liberalizing our regulations move forward. CA-B would address this issue, in accordance with the LD 1308 recommendations.
Recently, we widely distributed a survey to all stakeholders regarding LD 19. Of the 172 responses, 162 OPPOSE CA-A and SUPPORT CA-B. This result includes Maine Woodland Owners, NRCM, Maine Tourism Association, Maine Professional Guides Association, Maine Snowmobile Association and Maine ATV Coalition. It also include landowners of all sizes, recreational users, land trusts and clubs. The ratio was 95% support and 5% oppose for CA-B of LD 19.
For these reasons, and many more,
Please reach out to your legislators and ask them to support Committee Amendment “B.”
Please also thank Senator Stacey Guerin for sponsoring CA-B and Senator Carney, Rep. Bridgeo and Rep. Dill for supporting Maine’s ATV Trail System, law enforcement and landowners.