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Letter to Gail Norton, Lynn Scarlett and Kathleen Clark of the US
Department of Interior and The Bureau of Land
Management
Bob Jones, President of the Board
of Directors Paragon Foundation, Inc When Bruce
Babbitt was Secretary of Interior, the following actions took
place: The New Mexico Resource Advisory Council (RAC) was set up by
Mr. Babbitt to develop an Environmental Impact Survey (EIS) for New
Mexico. After many months of intensive effort, an EIS was developed
by the RAC that included an observance of the human dimension and
socio-economic impacts of actions taken by the BLM as provided for
in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Secretary Babbitt
struck this section at the last minute of his tenure before leaving
office. The districts, the state director of BLM and the national
director of BLM all signed this document. The office of the
governor of New Mexico also approved the entire document. It is
unpardonable that Gail Norton has not included the provision that
mandates taking into account the human presence as mandated by
NEPA. During his time in office, Secretary Babbitt also changed the
district offices to field offices in trying to keep all decisions
at the national level, as far away from local interests as
possible. Compounding this removal of state, county, and local
population's input into management decisions, the Secretary also
discontinued the District Grazing Advisory Boards that are provided
by statute. The grazing district designation was also set up by
statute. These were covered in the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934. The
Grazing Boards were given additional statuary status in Section 8
of the Public Rangeland Improvement Act of 1978. Our present
Secretary of Interior, Gail Norton, has ample justification for
rectifying this miscarriage of justice. The election of 2000 should
send a message to the administration about where the support came
from that resulted in George W. Bush becoming President of the
United States. Rural populations and small towns in the United
States have not only been ignored by the Congress but have been the
victims of legislation that is geared to their destruction. Almost
all of our congressional delegations, across the breadth of the
United States, have been guilty of contributing to this disgraceful
state of affairs. The successes of major liberal foundation's
grants to attack groups of extremist environmental persuasion have
decimated those historic and cultural values that created this
great nation. The American people, and their politicians, had
better wake up before America, as we know it, becomes a thing of
the past. The attacks on us have international roots also. Stupid
and poorly drafted laws like the Endangered Species Act are prime
vehicles for the un-American and radically unfair attacks of rural
America by detestable organizations and sometimes endorsed by
congressional action and judicial decisions. Gail Norton, please
rectify some of these terrible actions taken by the previous
administration. We are at your mercy. Lawsuits filed on statutory
non-compliance are probable. Very truly yours,
Bob Jones, President of the Board of Directors
Paragon Foundation, Inc. -- Dedicated to preserving rural
America
Former member of the National Advisory Council to BLM,
Former President NM Cattle Growers Assn,
Former Chairman of Las Cruces Advisory Board.
Governor's Representative to BLM during the Carter
Administration.
Totally ignored during the Clinton Administration
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