BLM Puts Things Straight

You will recall that my opponent said that if I were to win the election that the Bureau of Land Management would refuse to work with me. Here is what the BLM had to say today to the Editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican Newspaper.

September 23, 2006

We read your story (“Debate centers on environmental issues,” Sept. 21) about the debate between state land commissioner candidates Patrick Lyons and Jim Baca and wish to comment on a statement by Commissioner Lyons ( “… you better vote for me because the BLM isn’t going to work with Jim Baca.”) We do not know the context in which the remark was made, but we would like to offer the following information.

The BLM has a long history of working with the State Land Office on land exchanges to consolidate state and federal land holdings when the actions benefit both parties. An example of such exchange is to acquire of state land within BLM Wilderness Study Areas.
BLM has worked on major land exchanges with the State Land Office since the early 1990s, and we look forward to continuing this work with its leadership in the future.

Linda Rundell
state director BLM
Santa Fe