quod pro alius voluntas!

JULY 8, 2011

The Ranting Rockhound

I apologize to all those for whom this emailed newsletter holds no interest.

and for other purposes

Someone is a rabble rouser!

Writing Letters
by Dick Pankey, President, ALAA I have been asked What good does it do for me to write to my congressman/senator about a Wilderness Act (or other legislation) that is for another state. Well, Tom Noe, an ALAA member from South Bend, IN sent me an article he wrote that is a good answer to the question. After you read the following article by Tom I hope you will be inspired to join with other ALAA members and rockhounds to write a letter to your congressman no matter where you live. A good place to start is with the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act (HR1581). The Bill provides for the release of over 6.72M acres of Wilderness Study Area the BLM deems are not suitable for a wilderness designation and should be returned to Multiple Use designation. ALAA supports this bill. To learn more about this Bill and get a sample letter to send to your congressman go to the ALAA web site www.amlands.org. On the ALAA home page click on Active Legislation in the left hand column, then check out the links under Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act. You will nd a summary and full text of the Bill, a list of supporters and status of the Bill (which is currently in committee.) This is a prime time for us, for you to have an aect on legislation. You will also nd a link to where Your Elected House Member can be found and the sample letter for you to send. It doesnt get much easier than this to get involved with saving access to our public lands. Sending a letter, fax or e-mail to your congressman or senator is really an easy, important and aective way to be involved and to have an eect. Read Toms article then follow these simple steps and start participating in our future. June/July/August 2011 AFMS Newsletter

Protesters stand next to new access road cut through public lands to reach solar project
photo credit: Laura Cunningham

We almost didn't have a

subject to rant about this month. A general sense of happiness had come over me. Barbecued foods like Tri-tip and New York steaks while lounging around the pool tend to do that to me. It's also do to hours upon hours of time spent in the cool of the rock workshop playing with all the rock treasure collected through the more agreeable desert months. But I said "almost" nothing to rant about. The June 21st ground breaking ceremony of the 7,000 acre Solar Millennium project kicked my grumpiness into gear. We may have lost our only access across public lands to the Limonite cube collecting areas on the East side of the McCoy Mountains to a large federal subsidized solar power project. Can I say subsidized when talking about a $2.1 billion loan guarantee

from the good people over at the Department of Energy? The Times newspaper wrote that 22 cleanenergy projects in 14 states have been given $21 billion in some what conditional commitments so far. Did any rockhounds out there do anything about this ongoing development across our Public Lands? Did we look the other way when the subject was Big Industrial Energy Development fencing o our access? This isn't a case of somewhere in far away congressional Washington D.C. is a piece of legislation that may or may-not do something down the line but rather the reality that construction has already started on our once Public Lands. This isn't just politics for the sake of fooling the constituents that congress is really doing something. continued next page

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There are protesters standing out in the hot sun trying to get media attention, theyre done writing letters. They are applying more eort and in greater numbers than us to halt this new construction taking place. Sure, their focus is the destruction of cultural sites in our desert public lands but we all have something to lose here. Writing your congressman/ senator about some wilderness act just isn't enough.

JULY 8, 2011
Areas to study for some future utilization and the Bill wants to Release this land within our National Forests and BLM administered areas from Land Use Restrictions. Is this Bill about Roadlessness or Restrictions? Can you read in-between the lines, Give up the Roadless Lands you big restrictive government so we can immediately develop them and make a fast buck.

Let me move on to something else I really Alright, not everyone reads in-between the lines wanted to talk about. A kind of Bait and Switch in the same way. We shouldn't presume that all lawmaking, where a easy-going, nice title (bait) turns Rockhounds think alike. into something else (switch) in the ne print or some Just to be more than fair, let's look deeper into subsection written deeper in the Bill. the issue. Past the short title and on to section two, The Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act ( a ) Release by Congress of lands described in of 2011, HR1581 in the House and S.1087 in the subsection ( b ) unless the lands fall within Senate. Introduced by Kevin McCarthy, Republican subsection ( c ) because they have been studied 22nd District, California. enough already. And, subsection ( d ) says that the Secretary of the Interior can't promulgate about any Why does ALAA support this Bill? How does lands in subsection ( a ) in a manner contrary to the this Bill promote or ensure any access rights for applicable land use plan. I don't know what you think mineral and rock collectors in any way? of promulgating, I do it every so often, that's rst Two good questions to start o with, don't you amendment stu. Back to H.R.1581, section two think. Sure, that title starts o with the word subsection ( e ) Termination of the Department of wilderness, so this Bill must be about wilderness. Is Interior Wildlands order 3310 signed by Ken Salazar that Good or Bad? Are we fore or against wilderness on December 22, 2010. I'll say more about section around here? I personally think that wilderness is two subsection ( e ) a bit later. But the rest of that is comparable to saving money in a savings account, about as clear as mud, isn't it. kind of like wilderness wealth accumulated for later. Section Three is about the same as section two, Once you spend it, it's gone forever. It would be only aimed at the National Forest lands. Subsection nearly impossible to make more wilderness later. Maybe my grandkids would like some more to enjoy ( a ) brings up the Forest and Rangeland Renewable later. But, let's get back to the second half of the Bills Resources Planning Act of 1974 instead of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 of title. The title goes on to say, and Roadless Area Section Two. Subsection ( b ) covers the exception Release Act. What is this Roadless Area Release from Subsection ( a ) of any land designated stu ? The BLM and NFS is holding some Roadless Wilderness by Act of Congress before the enactment of this Act and with the exception of any roadless areas not covered by Roadless Area Review and Evaluation ( RARE II ) or subsequent revisions of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. Doesn't that make it easy to understand why ALAA supports and want us to support this Bill? No you say, it doesn't, me neither. Could there be a casually hidden political objective? The Bill does seem to aspire to the Release of Roadless Lands for Other Purposes. The text of the
Tent for groundbreaking on the $4 bi%ion Blythe Solar Power Project by a German rm Solar Mi%ennium
photo credit: Laura Cunningham

continued next page

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Bill ( HR1581 ) clearly has " and for other purposes. " written at the end of the rst paragraph. Other Purposes could describe the what ALAA wants to support. Perhaps the answer is in section two subsection ( e ), The termination of the Department of Interior Wildlands order 3310 signed by Ken Salazar. But, didn't Mr. Salazar say back in June that the BLM will not designate any lands as Wild Lands. I just don't know, we need to look in a new direction, let's look at who cosponsored the Bill and let's see who else are on the list of supporters. Maybe that will tell us something. Keep reading, I think we're getting somewhere now. Do you remember this quote from the movie, All the President's Men, "Follow the Money", let's try to do something like that.

JULY 8, 2011
California Forestry Association, California Independent Petroleum Association, Independent Oil Producers' Agency, Motorcycle Industry Council, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Rie Association, O Road Business Association, Public Lands Council, Recreational O-Highway Vehicle Association, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, Stewards of the Sequoia and the United Four Wheel Drive Association.

Now, I can see why Loggers want the Release of this Public Land for the business of cutting down trees. I can see why Cattlemen want the Release of this Public Land for the business of breeding cattle and ranching. I can see why Petroleum Producers want the Release of this Public Land for the business of drilling for Oil. I can see why the O Road Cosponsors for H.R.1581 are Rep. Dan Benishek Industry would want the Release of this Public Land ( R ), Rep. Rob Bishop ( R ), Rep. Ken Calvert ( R ), for their business of selling OHVs. It's a bit harder Rep. Jason Chaetz ( R ), Rep. Mike Coman ( R ), for me to see why gun enthusiasts would want the Rep. Je Denham ( R ), Rep. John Fleming ( R ), Rep. Release of this Public Land for shooting something, Elton Gallegly ( R ), Bob Goodlatte ( R ), Morgan but I guess they do. It's easier to see why Grith ( R ), Dean Heller ( R ), Wally Herger ( R ), Snowmobile users want the Release of this Public Duncan Hunter ( R ), Rep. Bill Johnson ( R ), Rep. Land for snowmobiling. Follow the Money, Oh, this Raul Labrador ( R ), Rep. Doug Lamborn, Rep. Jerry couldn't be about campaign contributions could it? Lewis ( R ), Rep. Rep. Cynthia Lummis ( R ), Rep. Or simply about the development of public lands for Daniel Lungren ( R ), Rep. Tom McClintock ( R ), prot, and Not Family Recreation. Rep. Howard McKeon ( R ), Rep. Cathy McMorris Looking at the list of supporters, I don't see how Rodgers ( R ), Rep. Kristi Noem ( R ), Rep. Devin rock collecting ts in with cattle ranching, logging, Nunes ( R ), Rep. Stevan Pearce ( R ), Rep. Denny oil drilling, rie shooting or motorcycle riding, do Rehberg ( R ), Rep. Mike Ross ( D ), Rep. Glenn you? There's this gal, Carolyn Lochhead who writes Thompson ( R ), and nally Rep. Scott Tipton ( R ). for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her opinion is this Cosponsors for S.1087 are Senator Michael Enzi Bill would stop future administrations from ( R ), Senator Orrin Hatch ( R ), Senator Dean Heller protecting new wilderness. But goes on to say, The ( R ) and Senator Lisa Murkowski ( R ). Bill obviously will not pass the Senate or be signed in Sure are a lot of Republicans listed as cosponsors. to law by President Obama. She even thinks Republicans have some "hostility" against wilderness Makes me wonder if it's not a certain political party designations. Then there is Paul Spitler of The thing. What do you call that? Partisan politics. Wilderness Society. Paul says this legislation would How about we look at the list of supporters now. open wilderness-caliber lands to destructive threats, I found this March 29, 2011 letter signed by Kevin including oil and gas development, uncontrolled oMcCarthy and Rob Bishop on the Americans for road vehicle use and other unchecked development. Responsible Recreational Access website. Seems Now let's hear from the American Motorcyclist ARRA encourages ATV and OHV use, like ALAA. Association ( AMA ) on this issue. This quote is from Wait, I thought ALAA was about rock collecting www.americanmotorcyclist.com. "Testiers told a key access. U.S. House subcommittee on June 22 that OSupporters for H.R.1581 are the Americans for Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation puts billions of Responsible Recreational Access, American Council dollars into the U.S. economy, and public land needs of Snowmobile Associations, American Loggers to be opened up for motorized recreation, the Council, California Cattlemen's Association, continued next page

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American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports." There you have it, the Money. I don't need to roll my tires over every last beautiful place in this wonderful America we live in.

JULY 8, 2011

There you have it, Another Ranting Rockhound

I have enough self discipline One last time, Back to the to preserve unspoiled America and question, Why does ALAA support this Bill?

Protest sign against O-Road Vehicles and Big Solar Projects.

photo credit: Laura Cunningham

Six Hundred and SeventySeven Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty-Four ( 677,384 ) acres of Public Lands in Six Western I've shown more than a couple States has been set aside for choices here, take your pick of Potential Solar Power Projects them. Is this truthfully about only and is protected against mining Recreational Access, Access for us claims. Thats more sq. miles. Rockhounds, or maybe, A Show of than the State of Rhode Island or Political Party Partiality, Support all of Sacramento County, CA. for the OHV Industry, Strengthen Development of Public Lands Certain Campaign Contributions, in the western states is one of the Propel Public Lands Development for Private Sector Prot, Assertion greatest threat against our access of Anti-environmental Ideology or to rock collecting sites. like the AMA said, it's only about the U.S. Economy? you have enjoyed this, please Which ever one you choose, try to be open-minded, be tolerant email me a note and give me some of others opinions and help keep feedback. partisan politics out of our The Ranting Rockhound Federation Newsletters.

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