A bipartisan plan that will help maintain and improve grooming operations on the state's snowmobile trails by raising permit fees by $8 next winter was approved by the state Senate Thursday, December 18, and sent to the governor.

The Michigan Snowmobile Association believes its members will be unable to afford to continue grooming operations unless there is an increase in the trail permit fee, reported Senator Jason Allen, chair of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee, who sponsored a key bill in the package.

Effective July 1, 2009, the current snowmobile registration fee would go from $22 to $30 and the fine for operating a snowmobile without a registration will rise from $50 to $200 if the bill is passed.

Senate Bill 1489 specifies that $5 from each registration fee may be used to purchase lands, lease lands, and secure easements to expand trails.

Under Senate Bill 1490, $8 from each registration shall be deposited in a new snowmobile trail easement account.