The battle in Bunkerville over grazing fees and the purported need to protect the desert tortoise caught the nation’s attention last month. But no matter how that conflict is ultimately resolved, the impact will pale in comparison to the economic damage that will hit Nevada if the sage-grouse is designated a threatened or endangered species in northern and central parts of the state.
Clark County rancher Cliven Bundy has put the Bunker in Bunkerville. As in Archie Bunker.
If the U.S. Bureau of Land Management were a business, its Nevada executives would be fired. They’ve managed to lose money on vast assets capable of generating massive amounts of wealth.
The Bureau of Land Management finally made one prudent decision in its battle with rancher Cliven Bundy: withdrawing. The weeklong feud began with the BLM rounding up hundreds of Mr. Bundy’s cattle, and reached heightened tension levels by Saturday afternoon in a 20-minute standoff between armed ranchers and law enforcement officers.
A sure sign of government tyranny: limits on dissenting speech.
The federal government’s incompetence in public land management has been obvious for decades. Far from protecting natural resources, many of Washington’s practices are killing off species and harming the environment. But that doesn’t stop agencies from regulating the public’s use of public land with a heavy hand while allowing costly federal failures to continue in perpetuity.
