Natural heritage not for sale

America’s public lands give expression to public values. It’s why glorifying Cliven Bundy, the hidebound Nevada rancher who pocketed $1 million in grazing fees from the American people, is an abomination.

That Bundy (surprise) also is a racist doesn’t repel autograph hounds or local militiamen. Interest groups follow the law of gravity: The paranoid and the bigoted hang together.

Bundy has antecedents. The Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s and 80s agitated for local control and even liquidating federal lands. While Bundy masquerades as a rugged individualist, his tale flows from greed, not principle.

The only plus to his Nevada standoff is revisiting the question of American values and public lands. As poet Gary Snyder wrote in “The Practice of the Wild,” “In North America there is a lot that is in public domain, which has its problems, but at least they are problems we are all enfranchised to work on.”

Consider coal-export facilities, which trace back to the insular world of single-bid coal leases. According to the Government Accountability Office, in 2012, 42 percent of the 1 billion-plus tons of coal produced in the United States was mined from coal tracts leased from the Bureau of Land Management, largely in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming. A February GAO report underscores the disjointed methodology of BLM bureaucrats when determining the fair market value of coal from the leased tracts.

Low-balling the fair market value rips off the American taxpayer, with lease revenue generated from royalties collected when the coal is sold.

Or consider a $5 billion, 30-year Bonneville-scale project, the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan. A diverse mission — from enhancing fish and wildlife habitat to boosting water supplies for irrigation — reflects a diverse constituency. But that has implications for taxpayers (one of the critical horse trades is the loss of 3,000 acres of ancient forest at Bumping Lake.)

As Snyder writes, the American people are enfranchised to steer resource policy. These are our lands. Nearly 50 years ago, writer John McPhee hiked the Glacier Peak Wilderness with mineral engineer Charles Park and conservationist David Brower. The controversy at the time was Kennecott Copper’s claim for a half-mile open-pit mine at the foot of Glacier Peak. As McPhee writes, “We wanted to have a look at the region while it was still pristine.”

It’s still pristine. Northwesterners pushed back and Kennecott retreated.

Bullies and bigots can’t be allowed to define the meaning of America’s natural heritage.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, July 15

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

2024 Presidential Election Day Symbolic Elements.
Editorial: Perkins, in strong field, best for Marysville council

The fifth-grade teacher hopes to improve outreach and participation with neighborhood meetings.

State should have given ferry contract to shipyard here

The state of Washington’s decision to award its newest ferry construction contract… Continue reading

Some Democrats did question Biden’s fitness to run

Recently, a letter to the editor said that Democrats would not say… Continue reading

Dowd: Trump’s good-looking Cabinet making him look bad

Trump’s toadies are keeping the truth from him and making decisions on their own that dog the president.

Goldberg: Why Nebraska may make GOP pay for its awful bill

It will be tough for Democrats to win the Senate, but an independent union leader could tip the balance.

Comment: Trump era will prove consequential; but as he hopes?

Trump has taken far-reaching steps in foreign and domestic policy. What follows will write his history.

Authorities search for victims among the rubble near Blue Oak RV park after catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on Sunday, July 6, 2025. The half-mile stretch occupied by two campgrounds appears to have been one of the deadliest spots along the Guadalupe River in Central Texas during last week’s flash floods. (Jordan Vonderhaar/The New York Times)
Editorial: Tragic Texas floods can prompt reforms for FEMA

The federal agency has an important support role to play, but Congress must reassess and improve it.

2024 Presidential Election Day Symbolic Elements.
Editorial: Retain Escamilla, Binda on Lynnwood City Council

Escamilla was appointed a year ago. Binda is serving his first term.

A Volunteers of America Western Washington crisis counselor talks with somebody on the phone Thursday, July 28, 2022, in at the VOA Behavioral Health Crisis Call Center in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Dire results will follow end of LGBTQ+ crisis line

The Trump administration will end funding for a 988 line that serves youths in the LGBTQ+ community.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Monday, July 14

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Comment: Midterm messaging fight for working class has begun

And Democrats have a head start thanks to the GOP’s all-in support for cuts to the social safety net.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.