Congress Moves to Cancel Park Service Rule on Motor Vehicles in Glen Canyon, Reverting Policy Status Quo

This Joint Resolution is essentially a congressional veto. It uses the Congressional Review Act (CRA)—a tool that allows Congress to disapprove of new federal regulations—to strike down a rule recently submitted by the National Park Service (NPS) concerning motor vehicle use in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Think of the CRA like a 60-day window where Congress can look at a new rule from an agency and say, “Nope, send it back.” If this resolution passes, the specific NPS rule about how cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles are managed in Glen Canyon is immediately nullified. It will have no legal effect, and the rules governing motor vehicle access and use will revert to whatever they were before the NPS proposed the rejected regulation.

The Power of the Veto Stamp

This isn’t just a strongly worded letter; it’s a full cancellation. The core action here is Congress asserting its oversight power to directly manage administrative law. When Congress uses the CRA (Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code), they aren't just delaying the rule; they are preventing it from ever being implemented. For the average person, this means that whatever changes the NPS was planning for motor vehicle access—whether they were tightening restrictions for environmental protection or easing them for better access—are now off the table.

What This Means for Park Visitors

The real-world impact hinges entirely on what the overturned NPS rule actually said. If the NPS rule was designed to limit vehicle access to sensitive areas, perhaps to protect shoreline habitats or reduce noise pollution in specific canyons, this resolution kills those restrictions. This is a win for anyone who uses motor vehicles—from off-road enthusiasts to boaters towing large trailers—who might have faced new limitations under the canceled rule. They get to keep operating under the previous, presumably less restrictive, policy.

Conversely, if you were a supporter of the proposed NPS rule because you wanted more environmental protection or less motor traffic in certain parts of the recreation area, this resolution is a setback. It means the status quo remains, and any new protections the NPS tried to implement using their expertise in resource management are tossed out. The National Park Service itself is the primary negative impact group here, as their regulatory work and management decisions are being overridden by Congress.

The Bigger Picture: Regulatory Ping-Pong

This resolution highlights the tension between federal agencies and Congress. Agencies like the NPS spend time and resources developing rules based on environmental data, public comment, and resource management goals. When Congress uses the CRA, it signals a fundamental disagreement, often political, over how that land should be managed. While the CRA is a legitimate tool for accountability, its use here means that the specific, detailed management plan for motor vehicles in Glen Canyon—a major national recreation area—is being decided by legislative decree rather than agency expertise. For those who enjoy the park, the outcome is simply that the policy concerning your car, truck, or ATV access won't change, for better or worse, based on the NPS's recent proposal.