Secretary Salazar could take a wildlife management lesson from NM Governor Bill Richardson

Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar, has made some popular decisions on restricting oil leases, but has made some very controversial decisions on wildlife management. Governor Bill Richardson (NM-D) is making a valiant effort to protect both, but he has to file a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management, to get it done. According to Court House News, August 28, 2009, Governor Richardson, says the Bush-era BLM violated environmental law by approving oil and gas development on rare and sensitive grasslands in Southern New Mexico. The state of New Mexico claims that a January 2005 decision on Otero Mesa violates several federal laws, as well as state environmental and water regulations. After natural gas was discovered on Otero Mesa in 1998, the BLM released development options in 2000 that advanced "significant protections" for the rare grasslands area. Then in, 2003, under the Bush administration, the proposal emerged with a substantially different plan that greatly reduced the previous environmental protection. Furthermore, Richardson’s office said they were forced to sue the feds after the BLM rejected the state’s recommendation in April, 2009, for stricter environmental protection for Otero Mesa. The complaint states that after the 2003 decision that buckled to the oil industry, the state responded with a report the following year, outlining violation of local policies. The state’s report showed that the BLM decision violated New Mexico environmental protection policies, water quality regulations, regulations governing cultural and archeological resources, and planning for alternative energy development...Examiner