Until now, the BLM has gone out of its way not to take action against Bundy. It can't be that the BLM was scared. The BLM won every legal battle against Bundy, and the 9th Circuit was on the side of the BLM. The BLM could have sought a lien for years when Reid wasn't involved.
Why now? Reid seems the best answer. Why the unjust and excessive display of force? Forty-seven police officers showed up to take down a drunk, 60+ year-old man in Albuquerque. Federal agencies, except the CDC, now have their own SWAT forces. The feds used tanks at Waco. I may have been more surprised if the feds or local law enforcement didn't show excessive military force.
Right, Reid’s interests in the land is likely a recent development probably in the last few years.