Cliven Bundy, the controversial cattle rancher who challenged the federal government over rangeland, said in Nevada on Thursday that a transfer of public land from federal to state control was unnecessary because it rightfully belongs to Nevada. At a Tea Party gathering in Elko, Mr. Bundy told local advocates for the transfer that a man can’t ask for something he already owns.
“I don’t run my cows on United States government land, I run my cows in the state of Nevada and Clark County,” Mr. Bundy said, the Elko Daily Free Press reported. “And besides, if the federal government says I owe, why don’t they give me a bill? And why don’t they collect that bill?”
Over 84 percent of the land in Nevada is owned by the federal government, the newspaper said, but Mr. Bundy says the U.S. Constitution prevents the federal government from taking over the majority of land in a state.
Mr. Bundy has been caught in an ongoing legal battle with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over cattle grazing land. The agency reduced grazing capacity on the land to 150 cows to protect the endangered desert tortoise.
The rancher continued to graze his cows until his permit was revoked, and was then charged grazing fees adding up to $1.1 million by BLM, which he refused to pay.
BLM officials temporarily closed almost 150,000 acres of land in March to capture and remove trespass cattle. Mr. Bundy and other protestors then formed an armed militia and threatened to engage in a shoot-out with officials to protect their land.
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At Thursday’s event, Mr. Bundy denied that militia members pointed their weapons at federal officials.
In April, the BLM released Mr. Bundy’s cattle due to growing safety concerns. He now campaigns for third party politicians in Nevada.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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