Source: The Cloud Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2018
Contact: Lisa Friday, Director of Communications
804-389-8218
lisa@thecloudfoundation.org
BLM ADVISORY BOARD MEETING VIOLATES FEDERAL LAW Last-minute board meeting is in violation of public notice regulations
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – The Bureau of Land Management’s upcoming National Wild Horse and Burro
Advisory Board meeting is in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
The meeting, scheduled for March 27-28th, 2018, was announced today, in clear violation of the requirement
for 30 days of public notice prior to an advisory committee meeting. The BLM FACA Regulations state in 43
C.F.R. 1784.4-2:
“Notice of meetings: (a) Notices of meetings of advisory committees and any subcommittees that may
be formed shall be published in the Federal Register and distributed to the media 30 days in advance of
a meeting. However, if urgent matters arise, notices of meetings of advisory committees and any
subcommittees shall be published in the Federal Register and distributed to the media at least 15 days
in advance of a meeting. (b) Notices shall set forth meeting locations, topics or issues to be discussed,
and times and places for the public to be heard.”
“While a representative for the BLM has stated that the meeting is urgent due to the tenure of 3 board
members lapsing at the end of this month, this meeting also fails to meet the 15-day notice requirement for
urgent matters,” said Lisa Friday, Director of Communications for The Cloud Foundation. “Additionally, it is
difficult to understand how a tenure lapse of three board members could be urgent when the length of their
term has been known for three years. “
Members whose terms expire on March 30, 2018 include Ms. Jennifer Sall, Public Interest Representative; Ms.
June Sewing, Wild Horse & Burro Advocacy Representative; and Dr. Julie Weikel, DVM, Veterinary Medicine
Representative.
###
SOURCES:
BLM Meeting Announcement: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/03/13/2018-05046/wildhorse-
and-burro-advisory-board-meeting
Federal Advisory Committee Regulations: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/43/1784.4-2
The Cloud Foundation (TCF) is a Colorado based 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and
preservation of wild horses and burros on our western public lands.
Categories: Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
How is any of this “urgent” when it is a voluntary board with no authority to do anything but make suggestions (non binding recommendations)?
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So – if 3 of the Board member’s terms expire the end of March – have they selected (because that’s what they do) people to replace them? I haven’t read anything about the “search” for new members.
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Maggie, I have seen nothing and know several well qualified people who were rejected in the past after a very lengthy application process with no explanation provided. One wonders if they will just appoint preordained people due to the “crisis” if they do hold the meeting, and if so, how it could even be considered legal and binding without advance public notice of procedural changes and application requests and vetting.
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(Posted this elsewhere but thought it should be added here)
Does the Federal Advisory Committee Act also apply to the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board?
“In a letter this week, a coalition of more than 20 environmental and animal welfare groups objected that the one-sided makeup of the council could violate the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires government boards to be balanced in terms of points of view and not improperly influenced by special interests. The groups said they nominated a qualified representative, but Zinke didn’t select him. …”
http://www.startribune.com/trump-wildlife-protection-board-stuffed-with-trophy-hunters/477004953/
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Just so we all know how the advisory board is chosen, here is the answer from BLM which proves it is not a representation of the public, but instead they are chosen “BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE TEAM” and we all know that management toward extinction is the objective of “the team” as instructed by the heads of the BLM & DOI & DOA.
I asked BLM’s Debbie Collins awhile back, what the process was for the decision of the Board’s new members and here is her reply (and notice there is NO mention of members of the public volunteering or even being considered … so much for democracy and the American way):
“The selections start with recommendations from a BLM-FS team and moves up from there. The White House and DOI/DOA have the final say. The BLM-FS team memebers change based on the needs of the team.”
Debbie Collins
BLM National Wild Horse & Burro Program
Marketing and National Information Center
405-790-1056
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So are any of the “crisis” candidates already known, vetted, approved and publicly listed someplace? If not, then why not?
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Call Debbie Collins (BLM PR person) and ask her and let us know what she says.
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