BLM Press Release (Unedited)
BLM Statement Regarding the Prospectus Submitted by Saving America’s Mustangs Foundation to Build and Establish an Eco-Sanctuary for Wild Horses
The BLM is committed to improving the management of the Wild Horse and Burro Program by working together with people and organizations that care about these iconic symbols of the West. However, recent inaccurate information from one such organization has been widely distributed, and the BLM would like to set the record straight.- The BLM has been working with the Saving America’s Mustangs Foundation, founded by Madeleine Pickens, for more than two years in an attempt to place wild horses gathered from Western public rangelands into a private sanctuary. Some of the information distributed in the Foundation’s recent media campaign requires some clarification and context; other information that is being distributed is just plain false.
- The Foundation has stated that the BLM will spend $85 million to remove 10,000 wild horses from public lands this year. This is not true. The BLM’s Fiscal Year 2010 total budget for the program was $65 million, of which $37 million went to caring for animals in short- and long-term holding facilities, $7.7 million went for gathering animals to keep the animals and the range healthy, and $6.8 million went for adopting out wild horses and burros to the public. The requested 2011 budget for the program is $75 million. However, under the existing Continuing Resolution, funding for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro program remains at the FY 2010 level.
- BLM managers, staff, and specialists have invested substantial time to accommodate and consider ongoing and evolving ideas from the Foundation. However, despite numerous requests from the BLM, the Foundation has not provided a formal and detailed proposal so that the BLM can properly analyze and determine its feasibility. This would be required from any individual or group proposing ideas involving public funds, public lands, and wild horses and burros.
- The Foundation has indicated that it will be prepared to provide holding services on land in Nevada by next fall and that it would result in a “significant cost savings.” Without a written, detailed proposal, the BLM cannot determine whether this is true. However, Mrs. Pickens in her prospectus has suggested a stipend of $500 (adjusted to inflation) per horse, per year, for the life of each animal. This would exceed the BLM’s existing cost per animal in long-term holding of $475 per year. Her prospectus, as presented, does not demonstrate an obvious cost savings to the American taxpayer.
- The Foundation has asked the BLM to postpone an upcoming Nevada wild horse gather in the Antelope Complex Herd Management Area until its facility is built. In our December 17, 2010, response, we explained that the number of wild horses in this area is significantly above the capacity of the range’s ability to provide adequate forage and water to sustain them. If we postpone the gather until the Saving America’s Mustangs Foundation completes a facility, the BLM may well face having to conduct an emergency gather – more costly and potentially more difficult for the horses, which would likely be weakened by a lack of water and forage.
- The Foundation’s information states that 30,000 wild horses remain on public lands. The BLM’s census numbers put the wild horse and burro population at more than 38,000, according to the agency’s latest official count.
Actions needed to move forward with the Saving America’s Mustangs idea
- To implement the Foundation’s concept as presented, under existing law and regulations, the BLM would be required to transfer title of wild horses through sale or adoption to Mrs. Pickens and change the class of livestock authorized on several Nevada allotments from cattle to horses. This would require a land-use plan amendment and additional site-specific environmental analysis (under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA). All such environmental documents require a period for public review and comment before being finalized.
- Existing law would need to be changed. The BLM does not have the legal authority to reimburse a private party for grazing titled horses (i.e., formerly government-owned horses now privately held) on either public or deeded land; reimburse a private party to graze untitled (that is, still government-owned) wild horses on public lands; or manage wild horses on public lands outside Herd Areas that were legislatively created in 1971.
- To ensure the American taxpayer receives fair value, the Saving America’s Mustangs Foundation would need to submit a formal proposal in response to a BLM solicitation that would be open to the public for private-partner preserves. The BLM is developing such a solicitation.
- The BLM is concerned that in some of the areas proposed for the Nevada sanctuary, forage and water exist to support a maximum of 970 wild horses, far below the 10,000 the Foundation has indicated it would like to support.
Related Articles
- Madeleine Pickens Responds To Obama’s BLM Slap In the Face (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Horse roundup near Pickens sanctuary criticized (sfgate.com)
- Major Humane Organizations Plead with BLM to Postpone Deadly Wild Horse Stampede (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Follow the money… (artandhorseslauraleigh.wordpress.com)
- Madeleine Pickens’ Plan to Save America’s Wild Horses (animals.change.org)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I need a glass or two more of wine before I try tackling this thing again. In a parallel universe somewhere I guess this might make some sense.
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Nell – you took the words right out of my brain! ROFL That’s exactly what I was thinking as I read this insane reply from the BLM! Do they think we are all idiots?!
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poppycock…more bureaucratic BS!
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bottom line…it is cheaper to keep them in the wild…..drop food and/or provide water… than to round them up and house them indefinitely….
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I see, so gathering up the horses, shipping them thousands of miles to other states, keeping them in holding pens, is so much less of a burden then adopting the amendment to the NEPA?
Last time I filled my diesel pick up truck, the fuel costs $3.56 a gallon. The helicopters, truck drivers, holding pen area employees all cost money to operate.
I just don’t understand.
If I was on welfare and someone decided to take me under their wing and support my ability to live without taking gov’t funds, will the welfare check be forced on me?
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No one knows how to “cook the books” better than a bureaucrat! Quite frankly, figures are like votes — The “reality” all depends on whose doing the counting. Don’t we all have good reason to be skeptical of information provided by the BLM? Please, someone tell me why this time should be any different.
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I had no idea MP wants $500. per year for each horse.
I thought with all her money she was their benefactor.
Is her prospectus available to read???
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From Debbie Coffey PPJ GAZETTE:
Pequop Exploration Project by West Pequop Project LLC (in Elko county Nevada) – The entire project is on public lands with a projected “disturbance” of about 400 acres. They’ve assured us that none of the drilling fluids used will contain hazardous substances and will not contaminate aquifers.
You could sigh with relief, except that many other hazardous substances have already contaminated our aquifers.
Betze Pit Expansion Project by Barrick Goldstrike Mines, Inc. (Elko and Eureka counties) – Another 315 million tons of waste rock will be generated by this expansion. New access roads disturbing 414 acres of public land. Expansion of the pit for a disturbance of 50 additional acres of public land. Construction of a tailings facility 46 acres of public land disturbance.
God forbid the wild horses dig a little hole anywhere.
Genesis Project by Newmont Mining (near Barrick Gold’s Goldstrike Operations)- Expansion of the Genesis open pit mine, disturbing 43 new acres and reworking existing mine disturbances for a total of approximately 1,135 acres, with development and operation of the Bluestar Ridge open pit mine and construction of an access road. Approximately 450 million tons of waste rock would be removed to extract 60 million tons of ore over a 12 year operational life. Currently, up to 35 drains and 10 wells pump up to 250 gallons per minute for up to 10 years, are expected to be necessary to dewater the Genesis Pit.
Do you consider a pit mine, which will eventually be a pit lake that will, in perpetuity, suck water from the aquifer beneath it, to be a permanent impairment of the productivity of the land and the quality of the environment? Or is it just me?
Long Canyon Exploration Project by Fronteer Development and AuEx, Inc. (in the eastern Pequop Mountains, 28 miles southeast of Wells, NV) – Exploratory drilling for minerals on 5,348 acres of public land. The Long Canyon Joint Venture also owns unpatented mining claims on the public lands.
Emigrant Mine Project by Newmont Mining (10 miles south of Carlin, NV) – Estimated that it will use 130 to 140 MILLION gallons of water per year.
Leeville Project by Newmont Mining Corporation – This is a gold mine with a dewatering system scheduled to pump a peak of 23,000 gallons of water per minute (gpm) over the life-of-mine. And they’re going to pipeline groundwater from the Leeville mine to Barrick Gold’s facility.
Newmont Mining’s South Operations Area Project Amendment (SOAPA) (In the Carlin Trend) – This is an expansion of this gold mine. They want to deepen the quarry: “total tonnage to be produced for the remaining life-of-operations is approximately 118 million tons…” also, from 2010-2015, they’ll transport 915,000 tons of ore to Newmont’s Twin Creeks Mine near Winnemucca.
Papoose Canyon 14 Federal Well #1 by Fasken Oil and Ranch LP of Midland, TX (Pinion Range, southwest of Elko) Oil exploration, disturbing about 29 acres of public land
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My novel is about this very issue – the stuff that Barrick is doing out there is scary as hell.
Also – I wrote an op-ed about this BLM press release:
http://www.allpetspost.org/allhorsespost/?p=8511
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BTW – they use cyanide in gold extraction – they put cyanide in the water, then spray it over the crushed rock from the open pit mines, which is sitting on a leach pad., The leftover water is contaied in ‘tailings’ ponds, along with a lot of poisonous heavy metals (cadium being one – and others depending on the soil). This is the real battle that is being fought out in the West – it is all about WATER. Wild horses are just the canary in the coal mine.
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With the $500 being the deal breaker maybe she should ask for it for about 3 years until she can get things all settled. I was even thinking that if/when things get better I might be looking to adopt a mustang. So once they get up and running maybe they should also do adoptions.
If the BLM would just do the deal and we can save the wild ones then we could figure out the details later. After all thats the way the government works.
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The way I read it is that $25 is the “deal breaker” as they state : However, Mrs. Pickens in her prospectus has suggested a stipend of $500 (adjusted to inflation) per horse, per year, for the life of each animal. This would exceed the BLM’s existing cost per animal in long-term holding of $475 per year. NOTE: she “suggested” that amount and they admit that it’s already costing US TAXPAYERS $475 a year!!! Are we playing “now which walnut shell is the pea under?” here????
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The horses Madeleine will have will be gelded and sparated. The mares not allowed to reproduce. Madeleine’s plans have nothing to do with saving our ‘wild ones’ who are still out there and will be ‘processed’ as they are removed.
I fervently hope that madeleine will address these newly removed horses by intervening and asking for ‘heritage stallions, bands, mares and foals’ so they can be adopted/SA bought and released onto lands as functioning wild horses as soon as possible.
If you ask yourself; “Which wild horses need me most right now?” Hands down I would choose those just being removed and in the trauma of this activity who are removed from family members and are presently penned and being shipped after being taken off their home ranges. Get these horses back to some semblance of their lives and back with mares, foals and band stallions. After these I think the short term horses also need to be gotten away from the pens and the adoption rounds. But the stallions are gone. In this part of our campaign to preserve genetics we are losing them to fast and they are the key to genetic diversity which, in my opinion, has reached a height where the majority of these horses are of an excellent
build and strong and smart. We are now losing this diversity.
A leased ranch will qualify for a grazing a permit just as an owned one will…. we need lands and BLM to alter their narrow and prejudicial policy of cattle only on grazing allotments. We need grazing allotments to include wild horses. This is merely a policy change! It could lead to many of these herds having new homes soon after removal. Range they can be managed on better than they have been by BLM.
Management of the range is the key to managing the horses. WWP is now going after some of the fast tracked energy projects for their giveaway of the public lands to be used and ruined for private profit. Corporations creating short term jobs for long term and highly profitable projects on our lands cannot be compared with putting the jobs in the public sector and allowing businesses to grow and become part of communities. mar
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This is the latest from WWP and just out… they won a fight in Washington state to keep cattle off lands for 20 years!! Way to go WWP! mar
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link to WWP victory; http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/435877/3416e7ddc0/1454001502/7f4b2d9ffb/
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How is educating the public on the plight of the wild horses with her sanctuary doing “nothing?”
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Madeleine has no sanctuary at this time and I have nothing against her getting one. I just wish people would be better informed her sanctuary is the end of the line for those horses… no breeding… She can educate and she can now possibly do a whole lot of good standing up to BLM bull in DC where we all need a loud voice for the horses… This is good for the horses now.
We are not in the LTH business as far as I know. That is Madeleine’s choice. Although I hope she gets into this on a new level. I hope she thinks long and hard about helping the horses from her ranch and the surrounding HMA before the stallions are gelded and their heritage is cut from them…. I don’t see how she can stand by and allow that when she already has the land and money to purchase and adopt and keep intact these herds and be free and clear of BLM control. mar
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jill Strait or Spencer Pederson
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 202-226-9019
Chairman Hastings Praises Resolution to Rein In Wasteful Government Spending
WASHINGTON D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement praising House passage of H. Res. 38, a resolution to reduce non-security spending to Fiscal Year 2008 levels or less:
“This resolution is an important step towards bringing much needed fiscal sanity back to Washington D.C. Since 2007, Democrats have increased the national debt by over five trillion dollars and the Department of the Interior budget has increased by over 20 percent. This reckless spending is threatening American jobs, our ability to remain economically competitive and the livelihood of future generations. With this vote, Republicans have clearly expressed our commitment to reining in spending back to pre-stimulus levels.
“There is still much more that needs to be done to get our fiscal house in order. The Natural Resources Committee has made reducing spending a top priority and will look for more ways to cut unnecessary government spending from programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction.”
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According to Dan Burton, he quoted $2500 per year, per horse to maintain in LTF’s. But the BLM says it’s only $457. I don’t buy that $475 for a minute, unless you’re paying for junk, trash hay, and nothing else. This is just more boiler plate, canned response from the BLM. I’d like to hear what the GAO says about these numbers, since we all know BLM has flunked math in a huge way!
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_Marti Oakley
July 27, 2010 by ppjg
_____________________________________________________
1. Tellurium, gold and rare minerals mining….Nevada
MEXIVADA MINING CORP. controls Gold-Silver and Hi-Tech Rare Metal properties with World-Class Potential. Mexivada is a junior mining and exploration company that went public on the TSX Venture Exchange in 2005, and trades under the symbol “MNV.” We are interested in securing Joint Venture partners for our properties. Mexivada controls gold-silver, Tellurium (photovoltaics), Indium (LCD Panels), lead, diamond, tantalum, uranium and molybdenum prospects in Nevada, Mexico, and the “ROC” Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).
2. Feds Fight to Keep Names of Ranchers With Grazing Permits Secret
In 2005, in fact, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that 10 federal agencies spent $144 million managing such grazing programs, yet collected only $21 million in grazing fees.
3. Kiri trees—global invasive species list
4. ECO2 Forests announce Sustainable Forests project on US soil
ECO2 Forests Inc. (US Stock Symbol: ECOF) has announced its first Global Forestry Plan project on US soil will be a planned 14,000 acre Kiri Tree forest program in Washoe County, Nevada.
5. Vidler Water and assorted other invested “stakeholders” (research provided by Debbie Coffey)
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Something else to add to the list Louie–
http://wolves.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/war-on-trees-harry-reid-ag-extension-agents-and-chinese-biomass-companies-promote-liquidation-of-old-growth-forests-in-nevada/
Ranchers, Government agencies, Harry Reid want to cut down old growth Pinyon trees for Chinese biomas energy company. Just gets more and more “nuts in Nevada” and it’s not Pinyon nuts!
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Thanks for posting this Barb! mar
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Ahhh Louie! Surely you are not implying the minor details in your post could be part of what is behind that masterpiece of bureaucratic double speak released yesterday by the BLM? Can’t we take their word about how sincerely they care for the welfare of the horses and land they are responsible to us for or how carefully they are trying to be not to violate any sacred federal laws and regulations governing transfer of “their” property (horses) over to private interests? What does it matter if those private interests just happen to be “We the People” that are finally making so much noise they felt compelled to bless us with a press release giving us a “full” explanation of why they are continuing to ignore what should be the most important element in all this and that would be the true psychological and physical well being of the HORSES? I must say I am shocked by the lack of trust shown in this honorable agency that would certainly never intend to misuse hundreds of millions of OUR tax dollars or allow their policies and decisions to be even slightly influenced by others who want the land for their own greedy purposes.
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As Laura Leigh pointed out to me recently and Sandra L. did also… BLM/DOI are allowing our public lands, including entire HMAs to be usurped by corporations for next to no money at all. We are being bilked. I would like to imply the Wild Horse HMAs have likely been thrust forward into these private interests first. Hence the removals getting stepped up as we have become more insistent it all end with the roundups getting the axe.
It is discouraging to know we are losing our lands and the HMAs to those who are reaping profits, creating pollution and destroying watersheds for short term mining and poorly thought out placement of these projects not where they are least harmful but often times where they will cause the most damage to the environment. Western Watersheds is after them again for this reason! mar
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I hope he reads the comments… you guys are awesome for caring about the horses.
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Thanks Jennifer. There are guys that really care about what is being done, or not done, but maybe they are the strong silent type since we rarely hear a peep out them here.
And Mar W, you, LL, SL and many others here are right on. It has become obvious over the years what BLM has been doing and who they are doing it for. Their accelerating pace of roundups and removals has made it appear to me that they are almost in panic mode to get this done before they are finally shut down in some manner, perhaps by being defunded by congress as public pressure mounts. As we all understand, once it is done, there will be no going back.
Without solid proof I cannot firmly accuse anyone in the DOI/BLM of personally profiting, as in taking kickbacks, but there are tremendous amounts of money involved in all this so my old law man’s mind has to wonder about the motives driving the decision makers. It certainly would not be the first corruption in history.
For me, it has gone far beyond “discouraging” but I try to keep my posts clean. WO
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The BLM uses NEPA analysis selectively to enhance whatever actions it is planning to carry out anyway.
In this case they would prefer to delay consideration of Mrs. Pickens proposals as long as possible. NEPA enables the agency to create delay.
Mrs. Pickens should prepare a written proposal to the BLM outlining her preferred outcome whatever that may be.
However, if she has the clout to influence Congress I think in the long run it would be much better to have new legislation for all public lands that would enable interested citizens like Mrs. Pickens to buy large western ranches to establish livestock-free use of their associated grazing allotments.
Those allotments that are suitable (i.e. with adequate water and forage available) for wild horses could provide a home for them even if it was located where there was no prior HMA.
Getting new law written would be the best solution for Mrs. Pickens and could also remove the current restrictions that limit wild horses to existing HMA locations when there may be better locations for them.
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Although BLM may say they ‘need to do a study’ before changing policy for grazing allotments, it is only a policy change and not a law… it could be changed easily with some proper analysis and very little fanfare. If no cattle were to be on the range where Madeleine wants horses then the range would have a higher carrying capacity for horses than what BLM claims for a smaller portion of the the HMA at present. And we need not change or add a law which in the present DC climate would be very hard. mar
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These people have no intention of working with people to save horses or to offer them a better life. They want the horses gone to hidden facilities where they pay cattle ranchers $1.5 million per year to feed our horses for life. BTW, these are private parties who are “grazing” our wild horses in long term holding ranch lands and who are getting reimbursed to do so. Abbey is a liar.
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You ate right. I remember reading a post written by a developer who had unsold property in Michigan. He had contacted the BLM regarding the possibility of using the property to graze the horses. According to this letter, he concluded that since the BLM only paid $1.50 per horsemper day, he did not think it would be profitable to keep horses when the climate was so cold, they would be forced to purchase so much hay.
Wonder if these private ranchers get to keep the profits of horses sold off the back of the property, likely headed for slaughter? Wonder if this is an unspoken compensation system for BLM staff as described in the peer reviewed 1997 White Paper report that appeared on Vickie Tobin’s link? I can not imagine that horses could be properly cared for for $475 even in Ken Salazar’s fondest dreams.
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Ooops—are.
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OK then set a top dollar limit for MP and support as many horses as that amount will cover. Since these are non-reproducing (grrrrr) animals, then some can be re-hauled (grrrr) 1000 miles back from holding in Indiana as die-off occurs. (There will be die-off due to winter and “natural” causes–like predators?? oops sorry–no predators left as they were destroyed to protect precious cattle.) It is scary that 40,000 horses are in LTH–what is BLM planning to do with them? Only people like MP can help them out……….of their own fiasco! Gee why didn’t they just leave the horses on their designated ranges (WFRH&B Act 1971) and manage them there……….
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I have a question for all of you, as you have more knowledge of the issue than I do, BUT am I wrong in thinking that there are Ranchers that are getting paid to keep wild horses on their land? For some reason I thought I heard that at one point. I appreciate the help. Thanks
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They are; about $1.30 per horse. It comes out to about $1.7 Million a year per pasture.
The theory was there is more pasture for them (but they have to be supplemented) and that it would save the Taxpayer’s money. I don’t think that rings quite true.
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Lynette, I agree with you. M. Pickens I’m sure could adjust numbers that would make sense that would “junk” the BLM numbers and get what she wants in this deal. With so many people loving these animals and potentially some being adopted, I’m sure the numbers could be worked out to save all the horses. At least I hope so. Obama, start using your head and throw this a__h__ Salazar out to dry. Oh, let’s not forget to add Abbey as well. We, the taxpayer has to win on this issue. If we don’t win on this, I doubt the American taxpayer can win on any issue in the future. We have to continue to fight, fight, and fight hard to discredit the BLM and the agriculture agency.
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I thought these horses belonged to us, the american public, and the BLM was only ‘managing’ them…they state that they are ‘government’ owned horses, quiet different from my understanding of thier responsiblities.
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Excerpts from Debbie Coffey’s report–the entire article can be read on
PPJ GAZETTE:
Debbie Coffey PPJ Gazette:
Chinese government money is buying one of U.S.A.’s biggest mines
It seems like there’s not much hope for Mt. Hope in Nevada. A brave group of American farmers and ranchers (and so far, Eureka County, NV) are all that is standing between our valuable American resources and water rights, and a Chinese company that has taken a $745 million loan from a bank fully owned by the Chinese Government.
Mt. Hope is about 23 miles northwest of Eureka, NV, and contains the world’s largest and highest grade undeveloped molybdenum project, the Mt. Hope Project.
It’s ironic that this mining deal involves the words hope and liberty, because what this really represents is that we are losing both for our country. You can see it on the faces of the farmers and ranchers at this meeting.
The only reason I heard about Mt. Hope was because I went to Tonopah, NV to observe the BLM rounding up our wild horses. The Paymaster Herd Management Area (HMA) is about 100,500 acres and the BLM removed 45 “excess” horses, leaving only 23 wild horses on 100,500 acres. The Montezuma HMA is 77,931 acres, and the BLM removed 78 wild horses and 61 burros, leaving only 3 wild horses and 10 burros on 77,931 acres. The BLM claims they rounded up “excess” horses to protect the range from degradation and to strive for a “thriving natural ecological balance.” I’d like them to explain how one horse per every 1,000 or 1,500 acres could possibly degrade the range. A horse only drinks about 15 gallons of water per day.
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Just facts, Wambli–just facts–and some hard questions that the public wants answered.
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I hope you recognized the sarcasm in my remarks. I found the information you posted very interesting. Thanks. WO
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YOU HAD BETTER CHECK AGAIN. HOW ABOUT ALL THE 257 FREE ZONES (CHINESE TOWNS) THAT ARE BEING BUILT RIGHT NOW IN THE WESTERN STATES WHICH WILL BE RESIDENCE FOR CHINESE COMING TO THE US. ONE IS IN PROCESS RIGHT NOW IN IDAHO. THERE WILL BE JOB BUT ONLY FOR THE CHINESE LIVING IN THE TOWNS.
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Good point Shirley! The way I understand what I have read about these Chinese enclaves that are already being built, or at least that the land has already been allocated to, will for all practical purposes belong to the Chinese. Employees and residents will be Chinese – period. The reported purpose is to manufacture Chinese products to be sold in America. Access by any others will be tightly restricted and/or generally prohibited. Apparently every state is on board with this program and some like Texas and California have agreed to dozens of them. We are being invaded in more places than our southern border with our own governments as willing accomplices.
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I got no problem with Mrs. P steppin’ up and doing her part from her angle; if she can arrange to give lives of quality to Captives and conduct ‘research’ at the same time to show how good management can be acheived, that’s points in her column.
There are a lot of folks out there trying to save legacy Stallions and Mares, Mares and Foals or entire family units; Mrs. P’s idea is not an original one, just a more famous one. If we can’t keep them on the range, at least we can try keep them together and out of the Midwest.
It does seem, however, the Bureau is being just a tad unreasonable, what with the hoops to jump through for those they view as advocates. Seems advocates have to work a little bit harder at it when any other tool can buy a truckload, sight unseen, for $400.
And just what the hell is so Homeland Security about Wild Horses and Burros that has caused the Bureau to become so contentious??! They DON’T want them; they’ve made that abundantly clear. But they certainly want the power of life and death over them, and the $67M that comes along with that.
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Lisa, you certainly have that right. Those “viewed as advocates” do appear to have a more difficult time trying to buy back Wild Horses that belong to ALL OF US.
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We shall see.. we are working on this. mar
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As each new event or information about previous events leaks out, I become more and more convinced that Mr. Salazar is carrying out the directives of the POTUS. The POTUS wants to add to his own hero story and be the American President who saved the world from Global Warming through his energy policies. In his mind, possibly due to SDOIUS’s influence, getting wild horses and burros off the land will eliminate people exploring, and discovering what he is allowing to happen in the West.
The West has always represented opportunity. However, while we think of the West where wild horses and burros as well as bison once roamed freely, POTUS sees smoke stacks (minus CO2) new roads, heavy trucks and pipelines crisscross crossing the nation to create his misguided and narcissistic vision. He is so in love with his own ideas that he does not care about the destruction they are causing.
By not calling a moratorium and allowing a government agency led by his appointee to perpetrate animal cruelty, he is allowing to occur, he discards his mask. This is an ugly story, growing uglier by the day. I hope that someone uses it to make political hay.
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Actually, Salazar remained from the Bush administration, which was highly favorable to energy companies and big business. That does not excuse the current administration from ignoring what is happening with the Dept. of the Interior and the BLM. However, one circulation I’ve seen is what the BLM provides to Capitol Hill and it is full of half-truths that cover up what is really happening and essentially calls the wild horse watch groups “extremists” who aren’t considering the impact to the lands. That the wild horses are such a small issue on Capitol Hill means they are not going to dig any further. With a Republican controlled Congress, they aren’t going to care–the Republican record with respect to our natural lands is dismal at best under Bush. Yes, what Capitol Hill sees is a bunch of BS. We know it, those who have been on the ground during roundups know it, but those who can act on it don’t. I’ve even sent the link to the Equine Advocacy Examiner’s site where she regularly receives reports from observers and those involved and posts the videos that prove the cruelty and hysterical stress the roundups cause on what should be treasured horses on whose backs our country was built during the Westward movement especially.
As a result, that the BLM has been deceitful, misrepresented deaths in the gathers or even failed to record them despite them being recorded by observers, reported by CNN and Nevada TV stations, along with a statement from the contractor specifically related to “hiding” gather deaths captured by a TV camera, it is very difficult to believe anything the BLM puts out in a press release.
It is disheartening, as the hope was that this administration would care about how our natural lands, and the animals that live on them, are managed. But the lack of action with respect to the wild horses, the de-listing of wolves from the endangered species list and many other actions show that this administration is no better than the Republicans before them.
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Often I have wished we would put together a Wild Horse 101 handbook for people to get their facts and have links to documents… a PDF to print out and have for reference. Many advocates at FB do not have a good base in the information available.
If FB is confusing for people others who are still in the dark could also use a simple booklet that is a source for what we all need to understand in order to stay in this campaign and progress.
When I am here I feel surrounded by folks who do understand the issues and when I am ‘out there’ it starts to get muddy and confusing around so many who need more information. I feel people do not read beyond headlines and this will not help the horses one bit. mar
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Leslie,
Ken Salazar was a Senator from Colorado while President Bush was in office. He was know to have favorable leanings towards the extractible industries. He and the President served in the Senate together briefly. When he appointed Senator Salazar to his cabinet, he referred to Ken Salazar as his friend.
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Wambli, I knew you were just kidding–so was I. We have to have a bit of lightness in midst of so much darkness.
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They certainly made a gigantic effort to keep EVERYONE out of Tuscarora during that disastrous round-up where so many horses died.
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There was something on the radio about trucks from Mexico being allowed on U.S. freeways now. Something to be on the alert for. There has been a great deal of work done on freeways. Anyone know anything about that?
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They have been coming over for quite some time now as one of the results of NAFTA. They are supposed to meet U.S. criteria for equipment, driver certifications and so on but in too many cases some have slipped past border check points. Some of those points pass tens of thousands of vehicles through every day and it is impossible to inspect all of them. Subsequent accident investigations, some fatal, have revealed substandard brakes and other basic equipment, lighting that was not working, drivers that did not have much or any specialized training such as U.S. drivers must maintain, inadequate or no insurance and the list goes on. But we can’t discriminate against them just because they choose not to adhere to our silly little rules.
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AND ports in Mexico being opened so Chinese products could be brought it. Nothing against Chinese workers–they are being used as slave labor. This all goes right to the top.
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Notice CLOSED SESSION:
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee–Closed
Session
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee
Special Closed Session.
———————————————————————–
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C. App. 2), and Title 41 of the Code of
Federal Regulations, section 102-3.160, notice is hereby given of a
special closed session of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory
Committee (COMSTAC). The special closed session will be an
administrative session for the Committee members to review the
structure of COMSTAC’s public meetings and discuss if the current
structure is the most desirable arrangement of activities. The meeting
will take place on Thursday, February 10, 2010, at the Washington
Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW., Washington, DC 20001,
from 8 a.m. until 8:45 a.m.
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I tried to read this…honestly I did. But it sure seems like a lot of legal mumbo jumbo–that clogs the brain. From the reading I’ve done it seems like Madeleine has bought land and is requesting the opportunity to lease more. And its for the horses! They could live in peace without being fussed with by anyone. Shouldn’t this be the goal of everyone involved?
I’ll try again to read the rest of this cloudy article.
Come to think of it I read the other day that BLM charges 475 dollars per horse per day and Madeleine was asking 500. Why can’t they simply inform her of the difference and ask her to “re-negotiate” that asking price? Instead we know have more griping and he said she said. This how you compromise.
I guess I believe in KIS–keep it simple. Not the other “S” cause that’s how conflicts erupt. Sometimes things are so simple that it blinds people–cause they believe that things have to be written in foggy cloudy legal mumbo jumbo.
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In the wonderful world of ensconsed bureaucrats and attorneys it is known as ensuring one’s job security. If they made it simple and easily understood then too many people would see what is really going on and their whole house of cards might come tumbling down. This way we are supposed to depend on them to make everything clear. So, they purposely use this kind of double-speak in the hope that they can fog up so many brains that people will just be quiet and go away.
We soft hearted simpletons think this is about the horses but they don’t see it from that perspective. For them it is all about money and power and of course, job security. And sometimes, that second “S” is fully justified even if it does offend someone’s delicate sensibilities.
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The reason Madeleine bought the land was because she was led to believe in the time working with the BLM that they were in favor of working with her. She would not have bought the land if it was not suitable for wild horses. The BLM pulled an 11th hour fast one on her out of spite and abuse of power.
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I think she had to make the commitment to the land to be taken seriously. mar
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Wambli–the trucks have been coming over the border, but the way it was explained in the program was that they are allowed only so far and then cargo has to be transferred. New regulations would allow trucks from Mexico COMPLETE access to American roadways. Trucks and drivers from Mexico are not under the same regulations as American trucks and drivers.
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The intention is to slip it by Congress–it would be posted in the Federal Register–a place where hardly anyone ventures.
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Slip it by Congress? Whoever heard of the clever little devils trying to do something like that?!?! As I recall, back when NAFTA was being debated and rammed through portrayed as a good deal for us, one of the sticking points was the very fact you mention. Lack of strict standards for equipment and driver training/certification on the part of Mexico. The DOT and some of the states tried to insist that they not be permtted to operate here for safety reasons unless they upgraded. Obviously there are influentials behind the scenes that will undoubtedly profit somehow and they have no concern for other users of the highways. I am surprised if the Teamsters are not objecting to this expansion as it will definitely cut out a portion of their operators since the Mexican trucks will surely undercut the price that domestic carriers charge.
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Quietly, the U.S. Department of Transportation has posted on its website a “Concept Document,” specifying a “Phased U.S.-Mexico Cross Border Long Haul Trucking Proposal” that envisions allowing open access to an unspecified number of Mexican trucks on U.S. roads after DOT has time to post in the Federal Register new rules circulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA.
The DOT’s two-page “Concept Document” specifies at the end that the agency will periodically report to Congress on Mexican trucks in the U.S. But nothing in the document suggests DOT or the FMCSA has any intention of coming to Congress to seek permission before promulgating rules, initiating procedures to safety-test Mexican trucks and open the borders to FMCSA safety-certified Mexican long-haul carriers
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“With so much focus in Washington on creating jobs, it’s a bit shocking that the administration would pursue a program that can only rob U.S. drivers of their jobs,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, or OOIDA.
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The focus in Washington on creating jobs is only a smoke screen for what they are really doing. Grabbing and consolidating as much power in the federal government as they can get away with. This is only one more under the radar manuever that is going on and these various agencies WILL circumvent congress whenever they think they can do it without drawing a lot of attention. Long ago congress conceded much of its authority to these agencies by letting them develop their own regulations and allowing them to have the same effect as legislated laws. In this way a lot of really scurilous shenanagins and power grabs can go on without anyone in congress having to vote on it or take any responsibility. That is how the BLM has developed into the corrupt monstrosity we see today.
Todd Spencer’s observation that it is “a bit shocking” has got to be one the greatest understatements of the day. It really isn’t so shocking to those that have been paying attention to more than just one issue.
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This is soooo true! mar
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Judging by all that has transpired and information recently posted–it doesn’t look as thought the intention is for jobs for AMERICANS.
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One world. I really fear that a lot of these moves have to do with the President’s ambition to weaken us in many ways while he strengthens himself be giving away our national resources in the West. Why in the world would we give China the rights to a rare but necessary element for new technologies?
If not for following the wild horse trail, I wouldn’t know about this either.
I wonder if some of the BLM’s and Interior’s adolescent games stem from some desire for one-upmanship because her husband is so successful in the energy field. Her husband is seen as an expert and fairly respected. Maybe Abbey and Salazar are worried about who might be coming with him to Elko.
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China is holding a great deal of our Country’s debt. Deals have apparently been made, from the sounds of it.
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