A draft for regulating the future of snowmobiling in Yellowstone “isn’t going to contain any surprises,” according to National Park Service officials.

Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said the draft environmental impact statement, which officials say they will release next week, will contain only minor changes to the draft released late last fall.

The announcement could mean bad news for both conservation groups and pro-snowmobile groups, which each had problems with the previous draft’s chosen plan.

That plan would allow a maximum of 720 snowmobiles in Yellowstone per day. All snowmobilers would have to use a commercial guide and machines would be required to have the “best available technology,” namely four-stroke engines that are considered quieter and less polluting than traditional two-stroke machines. It would require the best available technology for snow coaches, also.

The regulations are similar to those currently enforced in Yellowstone.

The draft also proposed the closure of Sylvan Pass near the East Entrance to snowmobile travel because of snow safety concerns. Nash emphasized that Park Service officials had not yet made any final decisions on the issue.

“We will look at all those alternatives,” he said. “We may recommend a combination of those things ... to come up with a final decision. It doesn’t have to be the preferred alternative.”

Conservation groups have advocated for a snow-coach-only alternative, citing scientific studies that show snowmobiles damage park resources, including air quality and wildlife. Conservation groups also cite millions of public comments that overwhelmingly supported removing snowmobiles from Yellowstone.

Pro-snowmobile groups say that requiring commercial guides is too restrictive and have advocated for a training program that would allow noncommercial guides to lead trips into the park.

Further, snowmobile groups, community leaders and business groups say that closing Sylvan Pass to motorized winter travel will hurt communities like Cody, where certain segments of the economy depend on accessing the park in the winter. Tonight, Yellowstone Superintendant Suzanne Lewis will travel to Cody to meet with a group called “Shut Out of Yellowstone,” which is advocating that Sylvan Pass stay open.

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi met with Lewis and Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott in Washington, D.C., where he suggested volunteer snowmobile trail grooming and keeping Sylvan Pass open during the winter months.

According to Nash, trips through the East Gate into Yellowstone dropped from 11 visitors a day during the winter of 2005-06 to about 2.5 visitors a day this winter.

Jack Welch, president of the pro-snowmobiling BlueRibbon Coalition, said snowmobile travel from Cody into Yellowstone dropped drastically because businesses in the city face an uncertain future. Further, Welch said the pass has seen only one death in the past 30 years and avalanche technology has continued to improve.

As for guides, Welch said his group is “still pushing noncommercial guides to be able to lead people into the park,” as long as they have proper training.

But according to Nash, guides in the park have remedied a number of problems since the days when snowmobiling in Yellowstone was largely unregulated.

“Operating at 100 percent guided has dramatically decreased the number of law enforcement incidents in the park,” he said. “We just don’t have the type of situations regarding speeding, driving under the influence, driving underage, or wildlife conflicts that we had. The guides take time to share the rules with their customers and then they make sure that they follow those rules.”