by Jim Harbison
The environmentalists
are ecstatic that Senators Udall and Heinrich have introduced SB 1805,
the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Act. Their bill
will put more than 498,000 acres of public land under the more stringent
control of the federal government.
Our TVs and airwaves have been inundated with ads touting the
many virtues of this act and how it will suddenly make Las Cruces a
tourist Mecca. These ads are well done and have convinced the public
that restricting 25 percent of the county land is necessary. Who paid
for these high-priced ads still remains a mystery since the sponsoring
organizations don't appear to have the financial resources to fund them.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the proponents of
this national monument have omitted some of the relevant facts about its
impacts. They claim that 88 new jobs will be created even though they
cannot define them; add $7.4 million in new economic activity; add
$562,000 in new state and local tax revenue; and increase tourism by 40
percent. I will not dispute these fairy-tale claims even if I doubt
their validity.
While they all sound fantastic, unfortunately the proponents
have not been totally honest with the public and provided them an
accurate picture of what the monument will do to Dona Ana County and our
local economy. They failed to tell you what this monument will cost the
county in terms of jobs, economic activity, and tax revenue.
There are currently in excess of 4,000 jobs in the natural
resources, mining, and agricultural sectors in the county. Over 82
percent of the county land is for cattle grazing and we are ranked No. 5
in the state for cattle inventory and No. 3 for market value of
livestock, poultry and their products. Livestock represents 57 percent
of the agricultural products sold in the county.
This monument will directly impact 41 BLM grazing allotments
valued at $19.46 million and over 14,000 cows and calves valued at more
than $12 million. The destruction of the majority of the county's beef
cattle industry alone will result in a potential loss of over $31
million in economic value, cost hundreds of ranching related jobs, and
adversely impact the local economy and tax base.
Proponents of the monument claim grazing rights will be
maintained. My comment to that is "If you like your grazing permit, you
can keep it. Period". This represents another government promise that
has routinely been broken.
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