Ten years ago, State Rep. Anthony D'Amelio, R-74, bought two all-terrain vehicles for himself and his son. But in order to legally ride them, they had to go to Massachusetts.
"There are no legal ATV trails in the state of Connecticut," he said. "We were forced to register our ATVs in Massachusetts because there's lots of trails there, but you have to register."
Eventually, D'Amelio, who represents Middlebury and Waterbury in the Connecticut House of Representatives, bought dirt bikes.
"It was too hard to go to Massachusetts whenever we wanted to ride," he said. "There are a lot of trails in Connecticut for dirt bikes, but not ATVs.
D'Amelio recently introduced two bills to the Connecticut General Assembly:
On Jan. 10, the bills were referred to the Joint Committee on Environment. Both proposed bills are attached to this article as PDFs.
This isn't the first time D'Amelio proposed bills pertaining to ATVs in Connecticut. He said in the past, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection didn't support the bill due to not having the funds to maintain the trails.
"That's where the registration comes in," he said.
Requiring Connecticut residents to register their ATVs for $30 means those fees can go toward trail maintenance, said D'Amelio. Trails already exist in the state that could be suitable for ATV-riding, he said.
'It's high time the state of Connecticut recognizes that a lot of ATVs out there are driven illegally because there's no legal place to drive them," he said. "I'd like to stop that."
Sue Hull: Absolutely. There is no where we can take the kids in Connecticut. This would be wonderful. Rob Wallace: Legal areas will reduce the impact on sensitive lands. I'm no fan of engines in the woods but "wise use" and rider education about sensitive ecosystems will help more than it hurts. www.facebook.com/bethelpatch