diff --git a/moto/autoscaling/__init__.py b/moto/autoscaling/__init__.py
index 64e8e9b18..cefcc3cf7 100644
--- a/moto/autoscaling/__init__.py
+++ b/moto/autoscaling/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
-from .models import autoscaling_backend, autoscaling_backends  # flake8: noqa
+from .models import autoscaling_backends
 from ..core.models import MockAWS
 
+autoscaling_backend = autoscaling_backends['us-east-1']
+
 
 def mock_autoscaling(func=None):
     if func:
diff --git a/moto/autoscaling/models.py b/moto/autoscaling/models.py
index 09110b016..edd580dea 100644
--- a/moto/autoscaling/models.py
+++ b/moto/autoscaling/models.py
@@ -359,6 +359,3 @@ class AutoScalingBackend(BaseBackend):
 autoscaling_backends = {}
 for region, ec2_backend in ec2_backends.items():
     autoscaling_backends[region] = AutoScalingBackend(ec2_backend)
-
-autoscaling_backend = autoscaling_backends['us-east-1']
-default_autoscaling_backend = autoscaling_backend
diff --git a/moto/cloudformation/__init__.py b/moto/cloudformation/__init__.py
index 1d7ff041f..98587fc41 100644
--- a/moto/cloudformation/__init__.py
+++ b/moto/cloudformation/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
-from .models import cloudformation_backends, cloudformation_backend  # flake8: noqa
+from .models import cloudformation_backends
 from ..core.models import MockAWS
 
+cloudformation_backend = cloudformation_backends['us-east-1']
+
 
 def mock_cloudformation(func=None):
     if func:
diff --git a/moto/cloudformation/models.py b/moto/cloudformation/models.py
index aeb130e23..229380796 100644
--- a/moto/cloudformation/models.py
+++ b/moto/cloudformation/models.py
@@ -101,5 +101,3 @@ class CloudFormationBackend(BaseBackend):
 cloudformation_backends = {}
 for region in boto.cloudformation.regions():
     cloudformation_backends[region.name] = CloudFormationBackend()
-
-cloudformation_backend = cloudformation_backends['us-east-1']
diff --git a/moto/cloudformation/parsing.py b/moto/cloudformation/parsing.py
index 07bf72e35..f29c77003 100644
--- a/moto/cloudformation/parsing.py
+++ b/moto/cloudformation/parsing.py
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class ResourceMap(collections.Mapping):
             self[resource]
             if isinstance(self[resource], ec2_models.TaggedEC2Resource):
                 tags['aws:cloudformation:logical-id'] = resource
-                ec2_models.ec2_backend.create_tags([self[resource].physical_resource_id], tags)
+                ec2_models.ec2_backends[self._region_name].create_tags([self[resource].physical_resource_id], tags)
 
 
 class OutputMap(collections.Mapping):
diff --git a/moto/ec2/__init__.py b/moto/ec2/__init__.py
index 53547cafe..2b1cafd88 100644
--- a/moto/ec2/__init__.py
+++ b/moto/ec2/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
-from .models import ec2_backend, ec2_backends  # flake8: noqa
+from .models import ec2_backends
 from ..core.models import MockAWS
 
+ec2_backend = ec2_backends['us-east-1']
+
 
 def mock_ec2(func=None):
     if func:
diff --git a/moto/ec2/models.py b/moto/ec2/models.py
index cf380d3fa..32f310640 100644
--- a/moto/ec2/models.py
+++ b/moto/ec2/models.py
@@ -2337,5 +2337,3 @@ class EC2Backend(BaseBackend, InstanceBackend, TagBackend, AmiBackend,
 ec2_backends = {}
 for region in boto.ec2.regions():
     ec2_backends[region.name] = EC2Backend()
-
-ec2_backend = ec2_backends['us-east-1']
diff --git a/moto/elb/__init__.py b/moto/elb/__init__.py
index e2efcde4d..fd53c8587 100644
--- a/moto/elb/__init__.py
+++ b/moto/elb/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
-from .models import elb_backends, elb_backend  # flake8: noqa
+from .models import elb_backends
 from ..core.models import MockAWS
 
+elb_backend = elb_backends['us-east-1']
+
 
 def mock_elb(func=None):
     if func:
diff --git a/moto/elb/models.py b/moto/elb/models.py
index f1d71f959..94914a8e7 100644
--- a/moto/elb/models.py
+++ b/moto/elb/models.py
@@ -155,5 +155,3 @@ class ELBBackend(BaseBackend):
 elb_backends = {}
 for region in boto.ec2.elb.regions():
     elb_backends[region.name] = ELBBackend()
-
-elb_backend = elb_backends['us-east-1']
diff --git a/moto/sns/models.py b/moto/sns/models.py
index 9b11d9530..886007aee 100644
--- a/moto/sns/models.py
+++ b/moto/sns/models.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import six
 
 from moto.core import BaseBackend
 from moto.core.utils import iso_8601_datetime
-from moto.sqs.models import sqs_backend
+from moto.sqs import sqs_backend
 from .utils import make_arn_for_topic, make_arn_for_subscription
 
 DEFAULT_ACCOUNT_ID = 123456789012
diff --git a/moto/sqs/__init__.py b/moto/sqs/__init__.py
index 18d6caa27..0a9de1a47 100644
--- a/moto/sqs/__init__.py
+++ b/moto/sqs/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
-from .models import sqs_backends, sqs_backend  # flake8: noqa
+from .models import sqs_backends
 from ..core.models import MockAWS
 
+sqs_backend = sqs_backends['us-east-1']
+
 
 def mock_sqs(func=None):
     if func:
diff --git a/moto/sqs/models.py b/moto/sqs/models.py
index a31e4b046..11d91cfb8 100644
--- a/moto/sqs/models.py
+++ b/moto/sqs/models.py
@@ -277,5 +277,3 @@ class SQSBackend(BaseBackend):
 sqs_backends = {}
 for region in boto.sqs.regions():
     sqs_backends[region.name] = SQSBackend()
-
-sqs_backend = sqs_backends['us-east-1']