New Regulations Restrict Air Tours Over US National Parks

Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park face the strictest rules, banning flights within a half mile of the sites starting in April.

New regulations are taking effect to restrict air tours over national parks and monuments in the United States, aimed at preserving the serenity of these natural areas.
The strictest of these regulations has been announced at Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park, where tour flights will be essentially banned from getting within a half mile of the sites starting in April.
These regulations are the result of a federal appeals court finding that the National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration failed to enforce a 2000 law governing commercial air tours over the parks and some tribal lands.
Critics argue that the noise from air tours disrupts the experiences of visitors and the tribes who call the land around the parks home, while air operators argue they provide unrivaled access, particularly to the elderly and disabled.
An industry group is considering litigation, and a congressional oversight hearing is planned due to the contentious nature of the issue.