Commentary: Joan McCarter

BLM Defies Congress, Authorizes Grand Canyon Uranium Exploration

Will Salazar approve this threat to a beloved national park?

Comment By Dave Skinner, 5-08-09

Couple relevant things not noted here.
First, Grijalva is on the advisory board for CBD, not exactly unsympathetic to CBD's extremism.
Second, Nicky Joe Rahall probably has several motives in this. First is pure Sacrifice Zone politics, score attaboys at home while sticking it to someone else's constituents...a la NREPA.
Nick Joe not only scores greenie points, but also sticks it to competing energy production methods, keeping his miners busy in West Virginia. Making Western coal, oil and gas, and now uranium hard to get keeps West Virginia miners busy, busy busy.
I think it is a good thing to keep WV miners busy, too. But its also good to keep Western energy producers busy so we can all be warm and dry.
Joan, what is Nick Joe's stance on mountaintop removal?

Comment By Rick, 5-08-09

Joan,

Thanks for this interesting article. I think that Secretary Salazar needs to address these issues. Thus far, we have a continuation of the status quo, but the American people voted overwhelmingly last November for change. When will this promised change arrive?

Comment By Bill Croke, 5-08-09

Sec. Salazar has a pragmatic streak that had some in the enviro lobby questioning his usefulness to them and their agenda when he was nominated-confirmed, etc. That, coupled with Obama's complete detachment from western public lands issues (this the result of his urban-- professional life, etc.) bodes well for multi-use in the West. Obama probably doesn't know the difference between a national park and a national forest. He probably thinks the Bureau of Reclamation has something to do with delinquent income taxes. So, Joan (and your Greenie readers) get used to it. You're going to see more of this sort of thing in the name of political expediency. Forget enviro-idealism from the White House or Interior. The recent Utah stuff reversing Bush BLM energy development was just a political ploy. And so much for the big wilderness bill (not the small one just passed). If Carolyn Maloney and Carole King think that'll pass, well, I'd like to have some of whatever they're smoking. Oh, and it turns out --as you'll soon pick up on-- that Obama and Salazar don't care enough about polar bears to change any Bush rules pertaining to them.Status quo again. All I can say is thank God that Obama didn't stick Al Gore or Carl Pope into the Interior post. So, before anybody starts throwing rocks at me, please sit back, relax, and pop a couple reality pills.

Comment By the real mike, 5-09-09

As I said in regard to another issue, this is simply a problem of continuing bureaucratic shenanigans in the post-Bush BLM, caused by a bad Obama choice for Interior (Salazar), who was clearly preferred over the better choice (Arizona's Raul Grijalva) by guys like Bill Croak (I can't figure out whether that is his name or something taken from a request that someone made of him). Hopefully, the Obama Administration will be able to deal with the current crises (economy, Afghanistan, etc) and then get around to helping correct some party leadership problems in the Senate, to providing corrective guidance to Salazar and others, and to digging out the entrenched Bush holdovers who have burrowed into the agencies.

With regard to Croak's efforts to play the issue to his advantage, he is just another rightwinger unethically flying a false flag, lacing his posts with feigned pragmatism this time, while luring the reader close enough to enable him to spread misinformation and confusion. One of the key objectives of people like Croak and his friends is to use disinformation to confuse, discourage, divide, and demoralize any and all progressive discussion. People like Croak are the political and rhetorical equivalents of grifters, carnival shills, con-artists, and the like; just ignore them.

By the way, Croak, I checked the map. I've been on TDY and other temporary assignments all over; but, the furthest west I've actually had residence is a bit northeast of Spokane and the furthest east was an internship stationed on the gulf coast of Texas, from which I hurriedly left and returned west as soon as it was concluded. Unlike you, I've always been able to find employment in the region where I grew up.

Comment By Todd, 5-09-09

Well at least this gives us hope there may be some common sense at least in the environmental movement. This land is a long ways from the Grand Canyon, the problem is enviros want to control everything withing 500 miles of a NP or NF.

Comment By Bill Croke, 5-09-09

Mikey, Well, interesting exegesis of me, when, of course, Joan's piece wasn't about me. But your response was a typical lefty reaction when confronted with facts: demonize dissenting opinion, etc., character assassination, etc. I get this everyday of my life. But I'll stick to the subject. What you don't get, and will see more and more, is that Obama doesn't give a rat's ass about the public lands in the West. Especially in red states. So you can vilify Bush, Cheney, me, conservatives all you want. You're going to see more of the sort of thing that Joan wrote about. Another thing: If Obama's so hot to do arms control deals with the Russians and other not-so-nice folks who seem to be less geopolitically naive than he, then why does anyone need to prospect for uranium near Grand Canyon at all? Are we building any nuclear reactors lately? I thought the great golden sun was going to power everything, and also shine down on the Sun King and Michelle Antoinette and her $500 sneakers. If the president actually had the courage of his convictions, then there would be no BLM uranium leases, hence no turgid yet hysterical journalism from Joan, and no moronic sputum from Mikey.

Comment By Mercedes McCarter, 5-13-09

I believe that statement that "You can't be a little bit pregnant" applies to the undermining of environmental protection. Either you are committed to it, or not. Our lives, and the lives of our succeeding generations depends on intelligent insight into possible outcomes of activities, not immediate gains, which has been the "American Way" for generations. As my late father-in-law (a rancher) said "Only humans are capable of fouling their own nests). To do so deliberately is insanity.

Comment By Laura, 5-16-09

Before Joan writes that "BLM is defying Congress" or that BLM is "granting permits" or "has authorized several new uranium exploration permits" she should read the Federal land Policy & Management Act (FLPMA) and the 43 CFR 3809 regulations at 3809.300 et seq. This section of the 3809 regulations were written and approved under Bruce Babbitt and John Leshy's watch as Sectretary and Solicitor of the Department of Interior respectively. BLM is following the law and the regulations in "accepting" the notices of intent. BLM does not aprrove or authorize exploration activities distrubing 5 acres or less under the notice of intent provisions. It is the regulations that authorize the exploration. Under the regs, one files a notice of intent to explore. BLM's duty is to review the notice within 15 calendar days to determine if it is complete under 43 CFR 3809.301. If BLM does not notify the applicant within 15 days that the notice is incomplete or that BLM needs additional time to review the notice, the applicant can begin exploration activities as soon as they post a bond or other financial assurance. BLM is not required to notify the applicant that the notice is complete. The 3809 regulations specifically states that BLM is not required to approve a notice of intent or to notify the applicant that it is complete (3809.312(a)).

One of the requirements of a complete notice is that the proposed operations must prevent undue or unnecesarry degradation of public land. The regulations provide that one prevents undue or unnecessary degradation by complying with the Performance Standards at 3809.420. Those performance standards require compliance with all applicable federal and state environmental laws and regulations such as the Clean Water act, Enangered Species Act, etc.

BLM's professional land managers are merely doing the job they have been trained to do. They are following the laws and regulations that apply to notice of intent exploration on public land open to mineral entry. The area in question has not been withdrawn. Most legal scholars believe the section of FLPMA that purports to authorize a single committee of congress to declare an emergency and order the Secretary to withdraw land from mineral entry is unconstitutional. This is one of the issues in the CBD lawsuit. As long as the land remains open to mineral entry, BLM has no discretion not to accept notices of intent and review them to determine if they are complete.

BLM should be applauded for being professionals and following the law, not accused of "defying Congress."

This area was left open to mineral entry as part of a compromise in 1984 when the Arizona Wilderness Act was passed and signed. Mo Udall, Barry Goldwater, Dennis DeConcini, representatives of industry and environmental groups such as the Sierra Club were involved in reaching the compromise. The Arizona Strip was left open to mineral entry because the parties recognized that it was the United States premier source of uranium for nuclear energy. If we lock this source of uranium (more than 40% of known U.S. reserves) then we are guaranteeing that Russia will be called on to supply the uranium we need (currently Russia supplies most of the uranium we use). Do we really want to trade reliance on Mid East oil for Russion uranium?

By the way, whatever uranium is in the Colorado River watershed is naturally occuring, not the result of uranium exploration and mining on the AZ Strip.

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