Commissioners Warn of ‘War on the West’ in Meetings on BLM Plan

May 31st, 2011 • Filed Under
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GREYBULL  — Big Horn County commissioners, energy industry officials and others gathered here Thursday night to present their views on a plan to manage public land across the Bighorn Basin.

The Bureau of Land Management released the draft of its new Resource Management Plan last month. Once approved, the document will be used to manage public lands across the basin for the next 20 years.

With the public comment process open, county commissioners and energy industry reps from across the basin have launched a series of public meetings to take place in advance of BLM’s slate of public meetings. Commissioners have said the meetings are intended to educate the public and build a fair and balanced picture of what people want from the new plan. Thursday’s event came with a clear agenda aimed at shaping public opinion.

“There’s a war in the West, folks,” Big Horn County Commissioner Keith Grant of Lovell told the audience. “If we don’t do what we can at the grass-roots level, they’re going to win.”

When asked who “they” were, Grant mentioned radical environmental groups looking to take over the county, create new wilderness and bring energy production to a standstill.

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