Sen. Ken Salazar has clearly been a failure for we Democrats. Yes, yes, I loved how he took on the Christian Hate Mongers but that just doesn't cut it for me.
Here's a chance for him to redeem himself:
Hitchhiker's guide to the BLM
Has the U.S Bureau of Land Management been reading science fiction? The novel (and now movie) "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" opens with the main character, pajama-clad Arthur Dent, standing in front of his house as bulldozers are about to crush it. In the story, the local bureaucracy expected Dent to learn about the plan by reading a notice posted in an obscure government office. The scene pokes fun at the bureaucratic mindset.
But in Colorado, no one is laughing. The BLM tried to auction oil and gas leases on 34,000 acres without telling the 46 private individuals who own the properties. While the BLM says it followed the law, it clearly ignored common sense and basic courtesy.
Denver Post, 5-12-05
[emphasis mine]
'Can't happen' you say. Selling leases on private land? Yes indeed. Throughout much of the West, the Federal Government owns the mineral rights under private land. This is called
'split-estate' and the minerals are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
That means, you most likely DO NOT OWN the minerals under your house. Subsurface rights trump surface rights, i.e. if an oil, gas, or gold mining company wants to get at the minerals beneath your land, you have no rights at all.
BLM will not, it seems, notify private landowners that the mineral rights under their land are about to be sold or have been sold. Instead,
...citizens must check BLM's website to stay atop matters. But the site has been down for a month, so landowners have no easy way to check if their properties (mostly ranches) are imminently slated for oil and gas leasing.
The BLM says the law only requires it to post the information at its headquarters and field offices. The agency also says landowners should read its obtuse area resource management plan - a document that doesn't specify when and at what prices leases will be offered. So just in the past few days did 46 landowners learn the BLM planned to sell leases under their properties - at an auction scheduled for today.
That means that (and this happens regularly here in NM) that one day you come home to find a drill rig in your backyard and poisonous water spraying around in your garden.
This is going overboard. The whole natural gas craze here in the West is completely out of hand. It may come as a shock to my fellow Kossacks, but Bush has only made it worse.
Even Wyoming has a law that gives private landowners at least a little say in split-estate cases. But not Colorado (and certainly not New Mexico - industry whores that we are). Some Coloradoans tried to get such legislation passed through their Democratically-contolled state house this year but it was defeated after the industry launched a massive campaign against it. Billionaires whining that So-and-So rancher or farmer or retiree (who makes less than 40,000/year) was going to limit their ability to profit. It was sick to watch.
Shame on those Colorado Democrats who didnt pass that bill.
But I digress.
Rep. Salazar did do something:
U.S. Rep. John Salazar, a Western Slope Democrat, asked the BLM to delay auctioning the parcels until the next lease sale in August. Salazar doesn't oppose energy development but thinks landowners are entitled to adequate notice.
Yesterday, the BLM backpedaled - but just a little. It will delay auctioning 14 properties but proceed with leasing out the other 32.
But this is crap. Never mind that this whole 'split-estate system is totally insane (the Supreame Court has upheld it countless times...) the BLM needs to immediatly postpone ALL the split estate lease auctions and adopt a policy of directly warning landowners what's about to be crammed down their throats.
As Colorado's congressional members, the Salazar boys have GOT to do something about this. Look, already we are relatively powerless. The billionaire oil and gas companies can come in and do as they wish with our land. Private and public. At this point, we have very little say in the matter. So, where are our elected officials? Where are our congressional members? Time to pay us back for electing you.
At the very least, we need to see the introcution of a Surface Owner Notification bill in the House.
Even better, Salazar should cosponsor Rep. Mark Udall's HR 2064, which (in addition to surface use agreements, water protection, bonding, reclamation and abandoned site program) has numerous surface owner notification requirements: 1) 45 days before leasing, 2) 10 days after leasing (identity of leaseholder), 3) subsequent decisions about a lease, such as modifying or waiving stipulations, and 4) 5 days after issuing an APD.
Further, we need Sen. Salazar to add Surface Owner Notification and Protection amendment to the Energy Bill in next week's markup as well as an amendment that mirrors Rep. Udall's bill.
"Hitchhiker's Guide" ends as the galactic bureaucracy is set to bulldoze Earth, notice having been posted in a government office light-years away. Does the BLM envision a similar fate for the West?
What happened to Kansas? The Democrats lost touch with the needs of everyday people. Here is an issue the Colorado Salazar boys can jump on that only the billionaires will get mad at. Think of the alliances they could build on this. Think of the outreach to rural Republicans. The Democrats will stand up for you!
Democrats HAVE to take on the big boys when it comes to protecting the little guys against an industry and Administration gone mad.