CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association is suing the federal

government over rules that limit snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park.

The group filed the U.S. District Court lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S.

Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, Interior Secretary Gale

Norton, and Park Service Director Fran Mainella.

The lawsuit came the same day the Park Service issued a temporary rule that

would restrict the number of snowmobiles in the park to 720 a day, and all

recreational snowmobile users in Yellowstone would have to travel with a

commercial guide.

The rule is to remain in effect through the 2006-07 winter.

The WLRA is challenging the legality of rule as well as the environmental

assessment and finding of no significant impact that led to it.

The group claims that the government unlawfully failed to include a "no action"

alternative in its environmental assessment and failed to take a "hard look" at

the environmental impacts of letting some people ride snowmobiles in the park

without a commercial guide.

Those actions violate the National Environmental Policy Act, according to the

lawsuit.

The lawsuit also accuses the government of violating the federal Administrative

Procedures Act by making an "arbitrary and capricious" decision.

Please see Friday's Star-Tribune for the full story.