BLM goes for the money

Given the choice between protecting local governments or collecting buckets full of cash, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will usually go for the money.

The latest example of how the BLM chooses between public policy and cash is its decision to oppose Carson City's appeal of the sale of a commercially valuable tract of public land to Douglas County for $6.5 million.

Although Carson City has appealed the proposed sale directly to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, state BLM Director Bob Abbey is downplaying the city's economic concerns. Local officials oppose the sale because it will result in lower sales tax revenues and create additional problems involving housing, traffic and municipal services. But Abbey wants Norton to dismiss the appeal so that the BLM can move ahead at warp speed and collect the money.

"We believe it's the right decision to go forward with a sale," Abbey told the press earlier this month. "We're hopeful the secretary will rule within a couple of weeks." It's interesting to note that although Abbey wants Secretary Norton to dismiss Carson City's petition immediately, if not sooner, an appeal of BLM's permit for the annual Burning Man drug festival in the Black Rock Desert near Gerlach languished in the Interior Department for several years. I guess it all depends on who's doing the appealing.

Douglas County officials, in their frenzied efforts to pave over the northern end of the county, worked with the BLM on a plan for commercial development of a 146-acre public land parcel on the east side of U.S. 395 just south of Carson City.

Apparently, their idea is to litter the landscape with more ugly "big box" stores and perhaps even a sprawling auto mall, which Carson officials oppose because of the devastating economic consequences that would ensue.

Obviously, many of the people who would work in the new businesses would seek low-cost housing in Carson City, putting more pressure on an already cash-strapped municipal government. But are Douglas officials worried about Carson's problems? Not much.

"There's no question (that) Secretary Norton will dismiss the protest," declared Douglas Commission Chairman Steve Weissinger. "And if Carson City goes to court after that, all things would be off the table from the standpoint of having a working relationship." Thanks a lot, Steve!

Without a city manager due to John Berkich's recent defection to Washoe County, Carson is particularly vulnerable at this moment. Nevertheless, city supervisors have vowed to pursue their appeal with the Interior secretary, and I applaud them for defending the capital's economic and commercial interests.

Considering that the BLM has yet to reimburse Carson for a $1 million open-space land purchase -- a 61.5-acre parcel near Prison Hill -- in 2001, we can't be too optimistic about the final outcome of the city's appeal. Although the bureau encouraged the city to buy the parcel for a housing development, the feds have denied repayment three times. So much for local concerns.

In the old days the BLM, which manages more than 85 percent of Nevada lands, was known as "the tapeworm of the livestock industry." These days, however, it's better known for turning a blind eye to local and regional concerns. In my opinion, Burning Man is still the most egregious example of flawed BLM decision making.

Despite continuing protests from residents and environmentalists in the Gerlach/Black Rock area of northern Washoe County, BLM approval of the annual drug festival is almost automatic by now.

They go through the same song-and-dance every year. First, Burning Man's Bay Area-based organizers solemnly assure the BLM of their "zero tolerance" drug policy and "leave no trace" environmental practices; shortly thereafter, BLM issues a permit even though it's clear that illegal drugs are the main attraction at Burning Man. And finally, more than 25,000 "free spirits" descend upon the pristine desert "playa" over the Labor Day weekend.

So why is BLM in such a hurry to issue these permits? Could it have anything to do with the $500,000 that festival-goers fork over to the feds for the pleasure of ingesting illegal drugs and running around naked in a newly designated National Conservation Area? Of course the half-million-dollar payoff is mere chump change compared to the $5 million that organizers of the "non-profit" event rake-in each year.

Burning Man's latest ploy is an attempt to establish a year-round "staging area" in the Hualapai Valley north of Gerlach. "It's a mass of abandoned vehicles and trailers that you can see from eight miles away," said Donna Potter, a member of the GerlachDEmpire Citizens Advisory Board, at a recent meeting of the Washoe County Planning Commission. But is the BLM listening to the locals? Not so you'd notice.

Moral of the story: When it comes to the underfunded BLM, keep your hand on your wallet. The idea that BLM bureaucrats might actually put the interests of local residents ahead of big cash payoffs is nothing if not far-fetched. And if you doubt me, just watch how they expedite the proposed Douglas County land sale and Burning Man's next permit application. Both of them are done deals, no matter what we say.

Guy W. Farmer, a semi-retired journalist and former U.S. diplomat, resides in Carson City.