Is there legislation brewing to ban smoking in U.S. National Parks?

May 11, 2016 4:16 PM

Both times I've visited Yosemite, my experience has been clouded by smokers parked at prime viewing spots and discarding cigarette butts on public trails. Can you find proposed legislation, legislators and/or lobbying groups who are actively working on banning cigarette smoking in national parks and/or restricting it to enclosed areas?

Eleanor Holmes Norton proposed a ban on smoking in national parks in DC in 2013 but she is sadly a non-voting member of Congress.

Are there others with tangible plans and existing support that I could put time and money into supporting? Not interested in anti-smoking organizations broadly (I can Google!) or contacting my Senators (sure I can do this but it has nearly-nil impact) but looking for specific proposals already out there.

posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto to Law & Government (4 answers total)

According to this Director Order any NPS Site Manager can designate areas of the Park as nonsmoking.
posted by Deflagro at 5:35 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Can you find proposed legislation, legislators and/or lobbying groups who are actively working on banning cigarette smoking in national parks and/or restricting it to enclosed areas?

My state tried to ban smoking in public parks. It didn't go well. But you might get an idea of the type of resistance you'd meet if you wanted to take up this issue yourself.

You'll never get it moved to enclosed areas, though. Indoor smoking regs require that enclosed smoking areas be separately ventilated, which costs $$.
posted by xyzzy at 10:49 PM on May 11, 2016

Smoking is permitted in Yellowstone, but not on trails or in "public areas"
posted by the agents of KAOS at 12:59 AM on May 12, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks all. I think my first order of business is to find out what exactly the policy is on smoking at Yosemite, as per @the agents of KAOS's Yellowstone link. (Yosemite's hiking FAQ says "Smoking while traveling on trails is prohibited, though you may smoke while stopped except when fire restrictions are in effect. (Crush out and dispose of cigarette butts in a trash receptacle.)"

Then I can figure out if the folks we encountered were just assholes or if they really were permitted to smoke. And if they were permitted to smoke while stopped on trails populated by thousands of hikers, move on from there.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 12:28 PM on May 12, 2016