Posted on 09/29/2015 9:46:56 AM PDT by george76
Despite a long process involving collaboration between local officials the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Western Colorado, the federal land agency is proceeding with the closure of roads that have been traveled for 50 or more years. The road closures comprise a portion of the BLM’s Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Mesa County, of which, 73 percent is controlled by the federal government .
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public roads, used by off-roaders, hunters, farmers, ranchers and, during wildfire season, firefighting crews.
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Jody Green, a member of Public Lands Access Association and long-time activist working to preserve access into federally-managed lands, said, “It’s ludicrous, what they’re doing. They’re not following state or federal law.” Mr. Green then cited Colorado Revised Statute (CRS) 43.
According to CRS 43-2-201, closures of roads or public highways by any governing body other than “a municipality or county” are illegal. That clause prohibits federal officers from closing any route. According to Colorado law, only the county has the right to do what the BLM has done and is attempting to do in Mesa County.
But federal law may also prohibit the BLM’s road closures as well. Revised Statute (RS) 2477 was devised by the United States Congress in 1866 to govern roads, routes and rights-of-way in western states. RS 2477 placed all decisions regarding roads on public lands within the jurisdictions of counties and states. Although the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), repealed RS 2477, the language within the new act served to “grandfather” in RS 2477.
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Utah is one of the few states to mount an RS 2477 challenge against the BLM. In Utah the state will join counties in these legal challenges, and, according to Siegfried, there are currently 12,000 miles of public routes under dispute in that state.
(Excerpt) Read more at watchdog.org ...
Shame that, but it’s their doing.
Best reason the federal gummint should not own all this land. Turn it over to the States!
Please add me to the list. Thanks.
Yep, a little bit at a time
Federal land should be state land. End of problem.
If it’s a national park like Jellystone, maybe. Other than that and military installations, the federal government has no business claiming that land.
Exactly. It’s at least one of them.
Enviros, BLM & USFS decide what’s best for us minions by keeping us off public lands, tar and feathering is warranted, or worse.
Thanks . You are added.
This “I AM GOD” attitude by BLM officials, wears very thin with me.
Those a.h.s work for us. They are not our lord and masters.
” They are not our lord and masters”
Hard to blame leftist fanatics when neither party even attempts to stop them. See EPA for proof.
Unless the federal government is stopped, the big government control freaks will gradually eliminate living and traveling outside designated urban areas and select rural areas for most people.
That is one of their goals.
It’s far worse than you think! SSS works.
Can’t argue there.
Sounds like this one will have our court system tied-up for the next thirteen years.
“According to CRS 43-2-201, closures of roads or public highways by any governing body other than “a municipality or county” are illegal. “
My buddy is a site locator in Colorado, and has taken advantage of this law. He finds abandoned roads and even wagon trails that have not been officially closed by the county that run across interstate highway routes, acquires land leases at those intersections, and then builds billboards at those sites. County zoning commissions complain, but usually lose due to their own inaction.
Intrusive controlling government need to be reined in and controlled.
I was offered a job with the BLM last year in Nevada. They were a great group of people, who had very little faith in anyone from DC. That was one aspect that I considered when deciding whether or not to accept. I put that in the plus column.
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