By Gene Hall
Publisher

It was more evidence that things have changed in the nation’s capital this year. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution expressing concerns with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tuesday night.

On a vote of 234 to 186, the House adopted a resolution containing the following language: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.”

The vote is of particular interest in Texas, especially along the Red River where many family farmers and ranchers have been told by BLM that the federal government actually owns as much as 90,000 acres previously thought to be privately owned farms, ranches and homes. BLM says that only about 30,000 acres are involved.

Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) is engaged in the courts and the legislative process to resolve the issue.

In his address to the TFB annual meeting in December, TFB President Russell Boening said, “These hard-working folks, many of them our members, have farmed in the Red River area for generations. They have title to their land. They’ve raised crops and families, in some cases, for more than a century on those lands.”

Congressman Mac Thornberry has led efforts in Congress to force the BLM to back off.

He said of the vote, “As we saw with resource management planning being used to advance a land grab along the Red River, it is imperative that we do not diminish the role of local governments and the states in this process.”

Also voting for the resolution, freshman Lubbock Congressman Jodey Arrington said, “This rule would further centralize power with bureaucrats and agency heads in Washington rather than those actually in the industry. I was proud to vote to end this rule, and I will continue to fight for our farmers and ranchers in Congress.”

The Red River case will be heard in court later this year. TFB continues to pursue a legislative solution.