Bush Administration Proposes Weakening Grazing Rules

[ellie]

Washington, DC-- The Bush administration proposal to alter the rules governing livestock grazing on public lands threatens to overturn efforts to improve rangeland conditions and reduce the impacts of grazing on watersheds, wildlife, and cultural treasures. The Bureau of Land Management is holding a public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed rules today in Washington, D.C

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The proposed rule seeks to:


Exclude the public from participating in grazing decisions
The proposed rule attempts to eliminate existing requirements that BLM seek public input before it issues, renews, or modifies a grazing permit. The administration claims that citizens are already consulted when BLM conducts environmental assessments of its grazing decisions. However, these assessments are infamously backlogged due to a lack of effort on behalf of the BLM who has obtained from Congress a five-year exemption from conducting environmental analysis when renewing grazing permits.


http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=774&friend=1

Grazing on public lands is a pet peeve of mine. This land is your land and this land is my land, but bushco wants to take away our right to even walk on it, much less enjoy it. And why? Because they can! He must be defeated in Nov. There is no other option.

[baby_bear]

1. Thanks for this post, ellie

This stealth vehicle one had flown under my personal radar.

I agree that we absolutely have to have regime change in November, but additionally, we need to change the old laws that allowed for rape and pillage of land owned by the American public, whether for ag, mining, or other various reasons. But, that can only happen when we have sanity in the Congress as well...

That's what I'm working for!! People first have to start talking about the environment again. I hear so little about it in the press, for example.

Thanks again

s_m