Activists Say U.S. Yields to Ranchers, Miners in Transferring BLM Official

A key federal official assigned to referee land-use disputes in the California desert has been removed from his post amid protests from environmentalists that the Bush administration is bowing to pressure from miners, ranchers and off-road vehicle enthusiasts.

Tim Salt, a 27-year veteran of the Bureau of Land Management, had been a lightning rod for criticism from all factions over federal policy in the 11-million-acre desert.

After three years as manager of the agency’s California Desert District, Salt was given a new job whose duties have yet to be fully defined. An acting manager will assume responsibility for the Riverside-based district Monday.

“There is a definite pattern by this administration to reassign administrators who have an environmental ethic,” said Karen Schambach, California coordinator for Public Employees for Environment Responsibility. “It’s very distressing.”

Jan Bedrosian, spokeswoman for Michael Pool, the top BLM official in California, denied that the reassignment was prompted by political pressure. She said job shifts are not uncommon among top managers.

In a prepared statement, Henri Brisson, BLM’s assistant director, called Salt “a talented professional who will be an excellent addition to our national team.” Salt’s new job will include working with issues of renewable resources throughout the Western U.S., the statement said.

Salt, 52, said he does not feel he is being punished, but added that he had not sought reassignment and had hoped to remain as manager of the desert district.

Salt’s career arc shows that it is possible to go from being lionized in one administration to being reassigned in the next.

During the Clinton administration, Salt received the Department of the Interior’s meritorious service award from Secretary Bruce Babbitt for his work in preserving the California desert. Salt was associate district manager for two years before being named manager in 1999.

Jerry Seaver, president of the 18,000-member American Sand Assn., many of whose members enjoy riding a variety of vehicles in the desert, said he is not sorry to see Salt replaced, even though he always found Salt cordial and accessible.

“Everybody is hopeful there will be a change at BLM under a new district manager,” Seaver said. “I’m hopeful we can get somebody who will look at the facts a little better.”

One controversy during Salt’s tenure that particularly rankled off-roaders involves a desert plant called the Peirson’s milk vetch. To protect the plant, the federal government has ruled large portions of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area east of Brawley off-limits to all vehicles and camping.

The sand association has petitioned the Interior Department to overturn a ruling that the milk vetch is imperiled and in need of protection. The group says Salt and other officials ignored data showing that the milk vetch is flourishing despite off-roading.

“Tim was very nice and patient, but he absolutely would not accept our data,” Seaver said.

Similar disputes have festered over protections afforded the desert tortoise, the peninsular bighorn sheep and other creatures. Ranchers have complained that they are no longer able to use federal land to graze their cattle, and miners have said federal regulations are nearly killing their industry.

Salt said he found it ironic that the environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, are upset with his reassignment given the fact that they had sued him for allegedly not doing enough to protect wildlife and vegetation as required by endangered species and desert protection laws.

The settlement of that lawsuit led to complaints that the government caved in to the environmentalists and imposed unnecessary restrictions rather than fight the suit. “The miners, the off-roaders and the ranchers are upset because of the agreements we entered into to settle the lawsuit,” Salt said. “As we tried to implement those agreements, their concerns have grown.”

Environmentalist leaders say the notion that Salt was a patsy for their views is wrong.

“We had our differences with Salt but at least he was trying to follow the law,” said Earthjustice attorney Jay Tutchton.

Even some off-road supporters who disagreed with Salt’s views on the desert, and the lawsuit settlement, say his departure may not mark a sharp change in policy.

“I know people are frustrated with what has gone on in the desert under Tim Salt,” said Boise attorney Paul Turcke, who represented off-roaders in the environmental lawsuit. “But the idea that removing Tim will mean wholesale changes is unrealistic.

“A BLM manager is not like a captain of a ship making all the calls,” he said. “There is a big bureaucracy involved.”