An interview with BLM director Abbey

Bob Abbey, director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said no "serious discussions" of creating a grasslands national monument in northeastern Montana have occurred within the Interior Department, despite "rhetoric" about a paper he authored on land protections for sensitive public lands. "I just want to put to rest the rumors and address the issues head-on," Abbey told the Tribune in an interview Thursday morning in Great Falls before departing for Malta, where he spoke from 7 to 9 p.m. at the high school. At the same time, Abbey added, grasslands contain unique values "and we need to be smart" in managing them. Abbey, who authored what he described this morning as a "concept paper" called Treasured Landscapes, said he's not ashamed of what's in it and welcomes the opportunity to discuss it with Montanans. Abbey said he used the paper to cite areas that have special characteristics worthy of consideration for additional management protections...more

Kind of funny he would get out from behind the desk and assure everyone it was just a "concept paper", about which there had been no "serious discussions"...right before an election.

Nice try Mr. Abbey, but everyone knows this will be hanging over their heads until the last day of the Obama presidency.