In its eagerness to appear responsive to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott about a burgeoning dispute with Red River property owners, the federal Bureau of Land Management sent him a letter it admits has few answers to his questions.

"Our goal and commitment is to work closely with you, local and state government officials, congressional delegation members, and the public to determine the best management options for the public lands," U.S. Bureau of Land Management Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze said in the May 1 letter. "We have a great deal of flexibility in developing options, and we look forward to obtaining input from you and others throughout the process."

Abbott, the GOP nominee for governor, said Wednesday the agency "is not being forthcoming," adding, "We will work with Texas landowners to detail their side of the story and prepare for litigation if necessary."

Abbott sent a laundry list of questions to the BLM on April 22, asking why the federal agency claimed control of up to 90,000 acres on the Texas side of the Red River and how it would undertake a multi-year review of how to manage the land. Other questions included a request for a specific timeline of the review process, what steps Texas landowners could take if they believe private land is being seized, and which specific land tracts would be impacted.

Landowners and some elected officials are accusing the BLM of preparing to seize private land owners have worked and paid taxes on for years. The BLM has denied it is considering taking any private land, saying the tracts in question always have been publicly owned.

BLM Public Affairs Specialist Paul McGuire sought to clarify the agency's response, which, by his own admission, did not address many of Abbott's questions. He said the reply was "fairly general" and did not provide much new information because the agency's legal team still is working on answers.

The BLM soon will issue more information – in the form of an open letter, another direct response to Abbott or one answering similar questions from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz – that would be more elucidating, McGuire said.

"We're preparing a response to (Cruz's letter) that, hopefully, will be a little more forthcoming," said McGuire. "We also didn't want to appear unresponsive to (Abbott)."

McGuire and other BLM staff currently are touring the state and meeting with numerous officials, including U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, who first raised questions about the land review issue earlier this year.

After this week, the agency will begin meeting with statewide elected officials, including Abbott. McGuire said he believed many of the answers to the gubernatorial candidate's questions would be available then.