Revamp for BLM causing concern

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Land Management is considering a reorganization that environmentalists and a bipartisan group of House of Representatives members worry could dilute the agency's protection of millions of acres of conservation lands in the West.

The BLM manages about 258 million acres — including 69 percent of the state of Utah — and among its traditional workload are mining, grazing and timber programs. But it also maintains about 26 million acres under its National Landscape Conservation System.

Much of that is in conservation areas, wilderness or national monuments, including Utah's 1.9 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

The proposal would bring under the umbrella of the NLCS a variety of unrelated programs that, on paper, could make it seem as though substantially more money is being spent on conservation when on-the-ground spending is actually shrinking.

"We don't want to see this reorganization that could lead to a holocaust through starvation of the NLCS," said Denise Ryan, a legislative representative for the National Wildlife Federation and member of the National Landscape Conservation System Coalition.

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill also are raising concerns about the reorganization, which critics charge was hatched in secret and has had no public airing.

Last week, leaders of the National Landscape Conservation System Caucus delivered a letter to BLM Director Kathleen Clarke asking that the changes not be adopted until Congress has had a chance to review them.

"These national monuments, wilderness areas, scenic rivers and trails provide uniquely American experiences, valued by millions of our constituents," the letter said. It was signed by Reps. James Moran, D-Va.; Mary Bono, R-Calif.; Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.

"It is critical that this reorganization include responsible oversight and budget commitments which allow these precious lands to grow and flourish," Bono said in a separate statement.

The BLM hasn't publicly released details of its proposed reorganization. There's no mention of the proposed reshuffling on the agency's Web site.

BLM spokeswoman Celia Boddington said the agency has been reviewing ways that it could be restructured to better serve the public for more than a year. She said the recommendations were presented to employees on Nov. 30.