"They rewrote everything. It's a crime," said Erick Campbell, a
former biologist with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who
wrote the sections of the report that address the effects of the
new rules on wildlife. "This is a whitewash -- they took all of
our science and reversed it 180 degrees." [1] Campbell made his
remarks last week in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Bill Brookes, a retired BLM hydrologist who worked on the study
also complained of Administration meddling. "Everything I wrote
was totally rewritten and watered down," Brookes told the Times.
[2]

The new rules will allow ranchers to graze their cattle on
public lands for a longer period of time --up to five years--
before they are required to reduce the size of their herds. The
new rules will also limit public participation in decisions on
grazing issues.

According to BLM Director Kathleen Clarke, the new rules "will
produce long-term rangeland health benefits," including
increased vegetation on stream banks, which will reduce soil
erosion and provide more wildlife habitat. [3]

But the original report conducted by the BLM's own scientists
reached the opposite conclusion. According to the original
report, "The proposed action will have a slow, long-term adverse
impact on wildlife and biological diversity in general." This
entire section was ultimately eliminated and, incredibly, BLM
now says the new grazing regulations are in fact "beneficial to
animals." [4]

But according to Tom Lustig, senior counsel for the National
Wildlife Federation, "Almost nothing in these rules benefits the
public lands or the millions of Americans who use them for
purposes other than raising cattle." [5]

Environmental experts note the new regulations will have
widespread and lasting impacts. According to Bobby McEnaney, a
grazing expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council,
"Grazing regulations affect 160 million acres of public land in
the Western United States --far more than any other industry--
so any change to grazing laws will have a dramatic impact on the
country's public lands."

McEnaney condemned the Administration's distortion of science
and public participation. "The science was completely rewritten
in order to cater to ranching interests."

###

SOURCES:
[1] "Federal cattle grazing analysis called white wash," Los
Angeles Times, Jun. 18, 2005.
[2] Ibid.
[3] "Bush Eases Land Use for Ranchers," Christian Science
Monitor, Jun. 22, 2005.
[4] Ibid.
[5] "New federal grazing rules will rip up public lands,"
National Wildlife Federation, Jun. 16, 2005.