SNOWMOBILE OPERATION S.B. 530 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS




Senate Bill 530 (Substitute S-1 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Senator Jason E. Allen
Committee: Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs

CONTENT
The bill would amend of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to revise provisions pertaining to noise emission from a snowmobile, and limit certain provisions concerning snowmobile trails to those located on or along a railroad right-of-way.


The Act prohibits a person from operating a snowmobile without a muffler in good working order and in constant operation from which noise emission at 50 feet at right angles from the vehicle path under full throttle does not exceed 86 DBA (decibels on the "a" scale) on a sound meter having characteristics defined by the American Standards Association S1, 4-1966 "general purpose sound meter". Noise emission from a snowmobile manufactured after July 1, 1977, and sold or offered for sale in Michigan may not exceed 78 decibels of sound pressure at 50 feet as measured under the 1974 Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) Code J192a. This provision does not apply to a snowmobile being used in an organized race on a course used solely for racing.


Under the bill, instead, except in an organized race on a course used solely for racing, a person could not operate a snowmobile unless it were equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation from which noise emission did not exceed either of the following:

-- For a snowmobile manufactured after July 1, 1977, and sold or offered for sale in Michigan, 78 decibels at 50 feet as measured under the 2003 SAE standard J192.
-- For a stationary vehicle, 88 decibels, as measured using the SAE standard J2567.


The Act prohibits a person from operating a snowmobile on a railroad or railroad right-of-way, unless the person is using a designated snowmobile trail or snowmobile trail crossing. A snowmobile trail must be constructed, operated, and maintained by a person other than the person owning the railroad right-of-way and the railroad operator, except that an at-grade trail crossing of a right-of-way must be constructed and maintained by the railroad operator at the sole cost and expense of the trail operator, pursuant to terms of a lease agreement. Under the bill, these provisions would apply to the construction, operation, and maintenance of a snowmobile trail located on or along a railroad right-of-way.


MCL 324.82126 Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy

FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.


Date Completed: 6-26-07 Fiscal Analyst: Lindsay Hollander

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb530/0708