Algernon D'Ammassa

Headlight Staff

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - On Thursday, May 11, the U.S. Department of Interior abruptly suspended the activity of 200 natural resource advisory councils and national park committees that provide local input into federal management of public lands.

Across the American west, Resource Advisory Councils (or “RACs”) have included ranchers, recreationists, conservationists and elected officials to advise land managers at the Bureau of Land Management. The Las Cruces District RAC represents all of southwestern New Mexico and encompasses the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak monument, which is among the monuments President Donald Trump ordered the Department of the Interior to review in April. In the executive order calling for that review, the president cited “egregious use of government power” in the protection of public land, and vowed to “end these abuses and return control to the people.”

In a statement, the Department of Interior explained, “To maximize feedback from these boards and ensure their compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act and the president’s recent executive orders, the department is currently reviewing the charter and charge of each board/advisory committee. This review process necessitates the temporary postponement of advisory committee meetings.” Heather Swift, a spokeswoman for the department, would not elaborate on what precipitated the review, or when RACs would return to service. The Bureau of Land Management, as an agency under the Department of the Interior, referred all inquiries to the department and declined further comment.

The suspension of RACs last week came as a surprise to council members. Randy Gray of Hillsboro, vice chairman of the Las Cruces District RAC, said he was informed in an email from the district BLM office only that the May meeting was canceled, but learned of the suspension through media reports. “We were just building up our membership,” he said. “A lot of our previous meetings had been spent on getting to know the resource area of the Las Cruces district. We were just getting steam for making good recommendations, and now there is this hiatus. That was disappointing to me. Our forward progress has been delayed for several months, at least.”

U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall, both D-New Mexico, were among eight Democratic senators who signed a letter on May 11 to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke calling for reinstatement of RAC activity, citing their role since 1995 in balancing competing interests regarding public land management. “During your confirmation hearing,,you stressed the importance of local input and collaboration on public land management issues. This is exactly what RACs were formed to do," the letter states. "Postponing their progress is a detriment to public land and forest management goals, to jobs and local economies, and to public confidence in federal government.”

On the same day local councils were suspended, the Interior Department opened a public comment period for national monuments under review. Comments may be submitted online at http://www.regulations.gov by entering “DOI-2017-0002” in the search bar, clicking “Search,” and then clicking a “Comment Now” button; or by mail care of Monument Review, MS-1530, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext. 2606) or adammassa@demingheadlight.com.