Batt Prods Interior To Drop Enforcement

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has directed the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to withdraw its proposed law enforcement regulations on federal land at the request of Idaho Gov. Phil Batt.

The Republican received a letter from Babbitt on Monday, which said their conversations had convinced the Democratic secretary to look further into the matter. Babbitt said the letter comes after the end of the public comment period.

“After considerable reflection, I have decided to follow your advice,” Babbitt wrote. “I have directed the BLM to withdraw the proposed regulations, and no further action will be taken until such time as you and I are able to find a course of action that will find a higher level of acceptance.

“In the meantime, existing statutes and authorities will continue to govern BLM law enforcement activity.”

Federal officials have portrayed the proposed rules as just consolidating authority currently scattered throughout the law books.

Batt said his state did not see it that way.

“Those proposed rules caused a lot of heartburn for Idahoans,” Batt said. “We should now go forward in developing rules that will allow responsible use of these public lands by all Idahoans without being subjected to onerous federal law enforcement.”

He said two proposed rules that struck a nerve included requiring a federal permit before hunting or fishing on federal land, as well as a ban on shooting a firearm over water which could prohibit waterfowl hunting.

“While some were only rewrites of the previous rules, they were not interpreted that way by Idahoans,” Batt said. “About 64 percent of our land is federal land. If we are kept off of that, I don’t think Idaho would stand for it.”

Batt said Babbitt recently gave him a ride to a hotel following a White House reception for the National Governor’s Association, and they were able to debate the matter. Babbitt also visited Boise for a “wide, freewheeling discussion of the rules.”

“It’s an opportunity to move ahead on a rational basis on discussing these rules with the federal government,” Batt said.