UPDATED: Letter from Enviro Groups Thanking BLM on HiLine Plan

For those of you who caught my earlier post- “Why is a Swiss Billionaire Calling the Shots in Montana?”– check this out:  Apparently several environmental organizations, led by the Pew Trust, sent a thank you letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) back in January.  Although the bulk of the letter dealt with lands in Colorado, the groups also mentioned the “good work in the HiLine plan in Montana.” (h/t Tom in Saco)

Click here and here to read the full letter.  Here’s an excerpt:

We would also like to recognize similar good work in the HiLine plan in Montana, where citizen inventories demonstrated substantial additional lands with wilderness characteristics beyond those originally recognized by BLM. Here, as part of reviewing a citizen’s inventory, BLM provided a clear re-assessment of three areas based on new information, and then updated their official inventory, correcting errors in the original determination. This work was completed prior to issuing the plan’s Final Environmental Impact Statement, which strengthens the plan as it nears completion.

We single out these offices for accolades because, in general, BLM has struggled since the adoption of Manual Sections 6310 to provide accurate assessments of lands with wilderness characteristics that include acceptable field documentation of wilderness resources. Many field offices have also failed to grant serious consideration to citizens’ inventory submissions.

Also cc’ed on that letter: Jamie Connell, State Director, Montana/Dakotas State Office, BLM and Mark Albers, District Manager, HiLine District Office, BLM

This is the Swiss billionaire who is apparently calling the shots with the BLM in Montana…with donations to dark money environmental groups, or green decoys, operating in the state.

Posted by Aaron Flint on Friday, May 15, 2015

Given the fact that these dark money environmental groups apparently have so much sway inside the BLM, maybe it is time that Congress starts demanding any communications between BLM officials and the environmental groups demanding that more land in Eastern Montana be treated with wilderness restrictions.

In case you missed it, similar collusion has been taking place at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Daily Caller: Congress Demands Environmental Protection Agency Hand Over More Emails, Texts

Republican lawmakers are demanding a former top Environmental Protection Agency official’s texts and emails that could point to collusion with environmental activist groups.

“Documents show that in 2011, then-EPA Associate Administrator for Policy Michael Goo seemingly used his private e-mail account to routinely communicate with outside groups attempting to influence agency policy,” Texas Rep. Lamar Smith wrote in a letter to EPA chief Gina McCarthy.

Republicans have been trying for months to get the EPA to turn over more than 1,000 pages of text messages and cellphone records sent from McCarthy’s government phone. GOP lawmakers say the agency has so far only given them two text message records from McCarthy. The agency also sent over phone billing records and texts from lower-ranking officials.

By the way, click here for more information on the HiLine Draft Resource Management Plan.  Here is the link for the RMP website as well:

http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/malta_field_office/rmp.html

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