LAT: Administration Excised Scientists' Warnings in Grazing Report

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-grazing18jun18,0,6468976,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

The Bush administration altered critical portions of a scientific analysis of the environmental impact of cattle grazing on public lands before announcing Thursday that it would relax regulations limiting grazing on those lands, according to scientists involved in the study.

A government biologist and a hydrologist, who both retired this year from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said their conclusions that the proposed rules might adversely affect water quality and wildlife, including endangered species, were excised and replaced with language justifying less stringent regulations, which are favored by cattle ranchers.

Grazing regulations, which affect 160 million acres of public land in the Western United States, set the conditions under which ranchers may use that land, and guide government managers in determining how many cattle may graze, where, and for how long without harming natural resources.

The original draft of the environmental analysis warned that the new rules would have a "significant adverse impact" on wildlife, but that phrase was removed. The BLM now concludes that the grazing regulations are "beneficial to animals."

[Erika]

1. How right wingers can swallow Bush's corporate lies

while looking at their grandkids faces is beyond me.

[Supersedeas]

22. it's all faith based baby...believe and be healed

[halobeam]

2. Ughhh

:puke:

[teach1st]

3. Sheesh...

...

A BLM official acknowledged that changes were made in the analysis and said they were part of a standard editing and review process. Ranchers hailed the regulations as a signal of new openness from the administration.

[rodeodance]

4. don't people just get sick and tired of this kind of crap from the WH--

--of god--this is the office of the presidency!!!!!

[rodeodance]

5. "The Bush administration altered critical portions of a scientific analysi

s"

This crap has just got to stop!!!!

[Erika]

6. This is the office of the world corporatist king

We have no president.

[rodeodance]

7. corporist king--yes--corruptist king is more like it.

[rodeodance]

9. WH is once again making 'rules"--without input from Congress!!!

.....The new rules mark a departure from grazing regulations adopted in 1995, under President Clinton and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Those regulations reflected the view of range scientists that a legacy of overgrazing in the West had degraded scarce water resources, damaged native plant communities and imperiled wildlife.

[driver8]

17. That is a fact! Being "president" is a side job he does with all of his

spare time.

It is so obvious that these m-fers don't give a shit about working families...all they care about is lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends with government money.

When will people wake up and see that these people are destroying everything in their path? The economy, the military, the environment, the government, the constitution, and the reputation of this country.

I get so pissed off just thinking about this. Oh yeah, and now we learn that Haliburton has been awarded a 300 million dollar project to build a new prison at Guantanamo Bay? Haliburton has had an amazing last couple of years.

Thanks, uncle Dick.

[NVMojo]

30. More here!! Land Study on Grazing Denounced

they are criminals, if they'd lie about WMD, DSM, and whatever else to get us to die for them in Iraq, well, what more can we expect besides MORE LIES!!!

snip...

Grazing regulations, which affect 160 million acres of public land in the Western U.S., set the conditions under which ranchers may use that land, and guide government managers in determining how many cattle may graze, where and for how long without harming natural resources.

The original draft of the environmental analysis warned that the new rules would have a "significant adverse impact" on wildlife, but that phrase was removed. The bureau now concludes that the grazing regulations are "beneficial to animals."

Eliminated from the final draft was another conclusion that read: "The Proposed Action will have a slow, long-term adverse impact on wildlife and biological diversity in general."

Also removed was language saying how a number of the rule changes could adversely affect endangered species.

"This is a whitewash. They took all of our science and reversed it 180 degrees," said Erick Campbell, a former BLM state biologist in Nevada and a 30-year bureau employee who retired this year. He was the author of sections of the report pertaining to the effect on wildlife and threatened and endangered species.

"They rewrote everything," Campbell said in an interview this week. "It's a crime."

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&e=2&u=/latimests/20050618/ts_latimes/landstudyongrazingdenounced

[Theduckno2]

8. How Orwellian!

It still amazes me to hear about such BRAZEN deception on the part of this Administration. This Administration seems to handle science the way that Enron handled accounting, solely for their own benefit. Gee, could there be a connection? :grr:

[rodeodance]

10. "We felt the changes we did make were based on good science."

You are right--it is brazen!!!!!!

[rodeodance]

11. Something just HAS to be done about this--i do not know what. I feel

so helpless so much of the time!!!!!

[Erika]

12. Just hang in there

Each day, I am grateful that Bush has one less day in office to ruin our country. His legacy will be the worst president of this country and it will always be questioned as to whether he was a legitimate president in the first place.

[Melodybe]

14. Call your Senators and Congressmen and give them an earful

especially if they are republican! I call Trent and Thad all the time :evilgrin:

The Capital Hill Switch board # is 202 224 3121, just ask for whoever and you'll be immediately connected to their office.

It is my favorite phone # on Earth, we should take advantage of it, RWers certainly do.

[Theduckno2]

13. "Good science" Reminds me of an old joke.

The local ice cream parlor advertises "The best milkshakes at popular prices!" A customer is told after having a milkshake that they cost $20 each. The customer complains saying "I thought you said the prices were popular!" The counter staff replied "We like them!" This seems to go a long way explaining their idea of "Good science" Hahaha :)

[slay]

15. It is Bush policy to screw over Americans in favor of corporations

any chance they get. Bush and his crew don't give a shit about this planet or the people on it.

[EC]

16. Part of the Depression that made it really bad was the

Dust Bowl....not enough draughts and over-use of the land created a dust bowl, so no crops would grow...looks like this administration wants it to happen again...

[markus]

18. Not so much about corporations, but cemeting red-state relationships

The people who are grazing on public lands are ma-and-pa ranchers. There are, in some cases, very large businesses. But that' just the way that agriculture has concentrated over the last couple of decades.

Oil, coal and grazing are something of a third rail for state-wide candidates (including Democrats) in North Dakota.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Okay, wouldn't anybody who intentionally taints our water supply

be held accountable in a criminal court?

We need to find the bastards who are altering these reports and do criminal profiles on them so we can make sure they never run for office.

[enough]

20. Or at least in SOME kind of court.

They are going to have to be sued to force them to follow their own laws.

[blindpig]

21. 2% of our beef comes from public land

Another fucking outrage. I swear my capacity for outrage is being exhausted. Incredible arrogance, naked thievery, an apparent hatred of all things unowned, these this maladministration will be remembered for.

For this pathetic percentage of our beef supply our public rangeland will be reduced to a desolation. For the increased profits of a handful of lease holders, many of whom act as though they own OUR land, the planned recovery of much already degraded rangeland will be reversed.

Overgrazing utterly wrecks watersheds in the Southwest, what I've seen in southern Arizona is pathetic. Banks are eroded, riparian vegetation denuded and the water is fouled. But these piece of shit ranchers claim that it is their Heritage to fuck up our public lands on the cheap. These are the same folks who would exterminate all predators big enough to eat a chicken along with any beast threatening to steal a mouthful of grass from their prairie roaches.
Fuck them, what part of "public" do they not understand?

[Mountainman]

24. Yes and they want to kill the wild horses along with a contingent of DUers

who contend that the mustangs are ruining the grazing lands.

[blindpig]

26. Seeing as them hosses

are natural to that habitat, after a short probably human caused local extinction, I'd say they were full of shit again.

[SHRED]

23. Damn them all to hell

Evil is as evil does.

[confludemocrat]

25. Overgrazing also causes invasive weeds to spike--adding more costs

Due to a loss of competitiveness by native species-increased "invasibility" its called.
The costs annually for control of such weeds are in tens of the billions of dollars (most publicly funded) and there is loss of native species and biodiversity all established fact. 45% of rangelands are significantly affected with exotic weed infestations.

Short term concessions to the Cattlemans beef association for long term problems.

Yes, these people should go to hell. Its our country too and it being divvied up by fat rich white men behind closed doors--as every calamity in the world has its origins.

[mountebank]

28. The mighty tumbleweed is itself an introduced, invasive species.

Aka. the Russian thistle. Symbol of ranchlands in the American West. Ironic, isn't it?

[kineneb]

29. Invasive weeds are already a problem

At least here in Cal. Want to see what happens with bad land management? Just come see the acres taken over by yellow star thistle. It pulls moisture from the soil, can have a tap root up to 3' long and has no natural enemies here. Also, not much eats it. Ugh- nasty stuff.

And BushCo want to pander to the beef industry...some day there won't be much grazing left if the lands are taken over by the "invasives."

[mountebank]

27. Here is an example of a study that shows grazing harmful for birds.

It is a good one to cite in an argument or letter:

http://www.rangenet.org/trader/Kreuper_etal_2003.pdf

Especially take a look at the before and after photos of the San Pedro River, AZ. Neotropical migrants and riparian species increased after cattle were removed and this is a group of birds that are quite sensitive to habitat alterations and often endangered. Of the species that decreased after cattle were removed, most are arid species, and a few are introduced, like the starling and house sparrow.

There's loads more research demonstrating a negative effect of cattle grazing.... Nevertheless, I was just on a ranch in northern Mexico where the owner was purporting that the land "needs" cattle and the action of their feet somehow leads to more grass species diversity..... These ranchers who use public lands (this one I'm talking about doesn't, he owns his ranch, but he is similar to those from the U.S. who do) are generally small-time ranchers struggling to survive and continue family traditions. I can understand their point of view. Many are dedicated conservationists. Nevertheless, the practice of public lands ranching should be phased out. There is almost no benefit to anyone, only destruction of the land.

[Cocoa]

31. astounding dishonesty

The original draft of the environmental analysis warned that the new rules would have a "significant adverse impact" on wildlife, but that phrase was removed. The BLM now concludes that the grazing regulations are "beneficial to animals."

[Moderator]

32. ...

kick

[edhopper]

33. WH whitewashes land use rules for cattle buddies

This report from AP:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/20050618/ts_latimes/landstudyongrazingdenounced
Shows that the WH lies yet again on important issues.
Why aren't these people in jail!!

[flvegan]

34. When we stop eating it, we'll stop getting screwed over because of it.

That's all I'm saying. The article says that 2% of our beef intake comes from these grazers. Pathetic.

[truthisfreedom]

35. change the subject to Land Study on Grazing Denounced

or the mods will remove your post.