William Perry Pendley: Trump's Plan to Sell Off Public Lands

William Perry Pendley: A Threat to Public Lands

August 15, 2019

There’s a battle raging in the West over control offederal lands. This movement, gaining momentum within the Trump administration, is highlighted by the reorganization of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the appointment of a staunch state's rights advocate at its helm.

This could mark the beginning of the end for ourpublic landsand the wildlife, including wild horses and burros, that inhabit them.

On July 15,William Perry Pendley, a conservative states-rights lawyer known for advocating the sale ofpublic lands, was quietly appointed to oversee theBLMin an acting role, bypassing the Senate confirmation process and scrutiny of his record. Until recently, Pendley was president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation, defending private property rights against environmental litigation. He has represented Utah counties in efforts to reduce the size of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and his Twitter handle, "Sagebrush_Rebel," pays homage to the extremist movement of the late 1970s and early 80s that opposed federal land oversight.

Pendley and his supporters, including several Utah state officials, aim to bypass federal laws protectingpublic landsand wildlife. They seek local control and unrestricted access for commercial exploitation, threatening the cherished wild landscapes of Utah and America.

Currently, theBLMmanages land for multiple uses, requiring industry to coexist with recreation, wildlife, and wild horses and burros. Public comment periods and environmental reviews are mandatory before implementing policies affecting these lands.

If states gain control, federal requirements would be void, allowing local officials to make land decisions without citizen input, leading to rampant industrial takeover ofpublic landsand destruction of natural environments and wildlife.

Powerful private interests could silence the voices of Americans who care about preserving natural wonders.

America’s wild horses and burros are particularly at risk. Their federal protection has long been resented by corporate ranchers benefiting from subsidized grazing onpublic lands. Currently, congressional appropriations riders prevent their sale for slaughter. State management could bypass these prohibitions, leading to mass roundups and brutal slaughter.

State control of wild horses would revert to a time when ranchers dominated the West, rounding up mustangs for dog food and glue factories.

While theBLM’s management ofpublic landsis criticized for being underfunded and overworked, state control would be worse. Instead of herds of antelope and free-roaming wild horses, industrialized landscapes would dominate the West.

Imaginepublic landslittered with oil rigs, decapitated mountains, and livestock trampling the natural environment. This is not what Americans or most Utahns want, but it is the direction under this administration, especially with Pendley leading theBLM.

Originally posted by The Salt Lake Tribune