Welcome to the Montana BLM
Welcome to the Montana BLM
I call this file "tidbits", updated 12/31/2008
As a Whistle Blower, I help keep BLM mgrs in Montana "honest"
just my way of saying "Thanks!" (see start.html for details)
If it wasn't for folks like former BLM DSD Janet Singer, Diane Friez, Robin Stoebe ...you probably wouldn't be here
Look for more News in 2008; until the US Department of the Interior puts its' house and the
Montana Dakotas BLM's house in order, whenever available, revealing bits of insider information
will continue to become public knowledge.
For all previous entries (such as Ethics violations, Prohibited Personnel Practices,
Funds Diversions, Discrimination, Articles written by former BLM'ers etc.)
click these links (Large Files!)...
WhistleBlower 1999/2000
WhistleBlower 2001
WhistleBlower 2002
WhistleBlower 2003
WhistleBlower 2004
WhistleBlower 2005
WhistleBlower 2006
WhistleBlower 2007
Look below - for 2008 - Current/New entries
Welcome to 2008! Hey Interior & the Montana BLM ... Is your house in order yet?
Posting of the "ebook" has begun..."The Uncivil Service"...at NewWest.net
The Uncivil Service, Chapters 1 & 2
The Uncivil Service, Chapter 3
The Uncivil Service, Chapter 4
The Uncivil Service, Chapter 5
The Uncivil Service, Chapter 6
The Uncivil Service, Chapter 7
January...snow and more snow...and wolves in our backyard.
In the News:
BLM...From 264 million acres of your public lands to 258 million, since 2000,
and no one is looking into this...ask your Congressional reps why.
Gene Terland MT BLM Director Denies Protests of Exchange (MCFO)
New BLM Manager in Billings (BFO)
odd this...MT BLM goes "two-tier" in '98/'99 (mostly a BS exercise) and WY goes "three-tier" in 2008...two-tier would be the right move
for efficiency IF the (MT & WY) state offices were dissolved and their staff sent to the field offices for on the ground work
BLM Reorganizes in Wyoming
BLM Bans Vehicles to Protect Imperiled Herds (CO)
MMS to hold oil lease sale in AK's Chukchi Sea (Interior - Polar Bear)
USFWS Delays Decision on Polar Bears and Global Warming
Bush Administration Drops Its Appeal of Overturned FS Mgmt Rules
US District Judge Molloy Orders FS to Explain Fire Retardant Policy
Groups Offer Plan to Help Oregon Salmon
House Natural Resources Committee Tries to Scuttle Wolf Delisting (Interior)
Senators Indicate Support for (Some) Reform of 1872 Mining Law
"The Department of Interior is rife with political interference.
Kempthorne has not come close to making a commitment to scientific integrity.
It's not so much about Laverty. The spotlight needs to shine on Kempthorne.
Is he going to get that house in order?"...
Senator's Hold on Interior Vote Goes Unheeded
Escalating Ice Loss Found in Antarctica
AP Poll:Bush,Congress Remain Unpopular
Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone
Original Intent Treatise - The Federal Firearms Act
The Wilderness Society
Welcome to Montana!
I live in Cabin City...
Cabin City Had Its Ups and Downs
Montana FWP to Manage Wolves
How Public Wildlife Became Something for Sale
Access Issue (Still) Hot Button for Hunters
(Posted 01/28/2008)
Temps in the mid 40's...in Feb!...
The Uncivil Service, Chapter 8
In the News:
Northern Rockies Gray Wolf Delisted (Interior)
Groups to Sue over Wolf Delisting
S.2438 Fee Repeal and Expanded Access Act of 2007 (RAT)
BLM Plans Meeting on Air Quality Analysis (CBM - MT)
High Ozone Reading in Wyoming causes Health Alert (gas wells/drilling)
BLM,FS Make No Change in Grazing Fee
Missouri Breaks Protest Period Runs Until March 4th (BLM MT-PRMP&FEIS)
Interior $10.7 Billion budget...
Land Agencies Could Endure Heavy Budget Cuts
Polar Bears v Oil (Interior, MMS, USFWS)
Record Bids for Oil,Gas Leases in Chukchi Sea (MMS)
Science:2 Reports Urge Big Changes in Water Usage in West (USGS)
West Laid Plans (Water)
Lake Mead May Go Dry by 2021
Study Finds Humans' Effect on Oceans Comprehensive (NOAA)
World Fisheries Face Collapse Within Decades (UN)
Scientists Isolate Areas Most at Risk of Climate Change
Study Finds Nat'l Parks Tainted by Pollution (NPS)
Elk Herds Upsetting Ecosystems in National Parks (NPS)
US Considers Easing Ban on Guns in Nat'l Parks (Interior)
Park Ranger Group Opposes Gun Proposal (NPS)
increased costs, paying higher electric bills...
Study Says Daylight Saving Time Wastes Energy
$11.7 Billion Profit for the 4th Quarter of 2007...
Exxon Mobil Posts Record $40.6 Billion Annual Profit
1872 Mining Law...
Mining:Uranium Exploration Near Grand Canyon Approved (FS)
the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year...
Record-High Americans in Prison
Fed Salary Table 2008 (GS)
Welcome to Montana!
Western Montana in Business
Sneak Peak:"Wolves in Russia"
Survey on Montana Climate Change Action Plan
Hunting Access to Private Lands
(Posted 02/28/2008)
The Uncivil Service, Chapter 9
And then there's spring bear season starting April 15th...guess where I'll be!
In the News:
BLM Montana Table of Organization - Jan. 2008
BLM Extends Comment Period on CO, UT, WY Oil Shale Plan
BLM Rejects Roan Plateau Safeguards
MT BLM Volunteer Receives National Recognition (Interior)
note that MT BLM does not list it's Law Enforcement folk by name on their T.O. ...
BATF Commends BLM Rangers Jason Caffey and Chuck Ward (Interior)
Remembering Bill Supernaugh (Interior)
Drilling Plan Would Exceed Air Quality Standards (BLM-WY)
Concern Over Increased ORV Travel on Public Lands (BLM)
Senate Closer to Cleanup Program for Old Mine Reclaimation
GAO Says Interior Oil,Gas Royalties System Inadequate
House Bill Aims to Start Fire Fund (FLAME ACT,Interior,FS)
Plaintiffs Claim $58Billion Due (Interior/Indian Trust Case)
Tribes,USFWS Continue Talks Over Bison Range (Lyle Laverty)
Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey Cleared of Contempt Charge, Fed Court Missoula
CA Sues FS To Keep Roadless Areas (NEPA,NFMA)
Canada Lynx "Critical Habitat" (USFWS)
Mine Claims Crowd Towns (Interior/BLM/1872 Mining Law)
W.R. Grace Agrees on Cleanup Payment (EPA,Superfund,Libby MT)
Michael Gunwald on Dysfunction of US Army Corps of Engineers
Park Officials Oppose Plan to "Flush" Grand Canyon (Interior/NPS)
Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (Norton)
Since 2001, Guarding Endangered Species Is Harder (Kempthorne/Interior)
Opposition to Proposed AK Land Exchange (USFWS)
Massive Land for Oil Swap
Perennial Arctic Ice Cover Melting
5 Years After Iraq's Liberation, There Are Worms in the Water
Act Now to Stop War and End Racism:Winter Soldier
2007 Peace Index Ranks US Among Worst Nations
Craigslist:Lawsuit Dismissed
Section 230 of Communications Decency Act
Government Accountability is a Citizen's Responsibility
Net Neutrality's Quiet Crusader, Ben Scott
when unemployed workers exhaust their unemployment benefits...they are no longer counted as "unemployed"...
US Employers Slash Most Jobs in 5 Years
Inside Look At "Hope Now" Program (Home Foreclosures)
Recession is A Given..."Bush Depression"
An Editorial that Shows How the NY Times Looks at Wolf Delisting
Man Who Oversaw Reintroduction(Ed Bangs)Talks About Wolf Delisting
(Posted 03/31/2008)
If you've read "The Uncivil Service", spread the word...
If you haven't read TUS, give it a go!
(2) LTE's in April; Clark Fork Chronicle & Mineral Independent, Republicans are smarting...
In the News:
Ex-Rangers File Petition Against OHV's (BLM - MT)
Bill Targeting Big Fires Gets Wide Approval, Flame Fund (Interior,FS)
Interior Board Rejects BLM Energy Leases (WY)
BLM Cleans Up Legacy Well Contamination(AK)
Kempthorne Proposal Would Ease Ban on Guns in Nat'l Parks (Interior)
Judge Orders Interior to Decide Polar Bear Listing
Interior Seeks More Time for Polar Bear Decision
Fed Judge Blocks Uranium Mine Near Grand Canyon (FS)
Development of Private Lands Threatens National Parks (NPS)
National Parks, Coal-Fired Power Plants May Be Neighbors
NRDC:The West's Changed Climate, Hotter and Drier
Pine Beetle Outbreaks Turn Forests Into Carbon Source
House Approves Wild Sky Wilderness in WA State
Secure Rural Schools
Congressional Apportionment
The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression
Billions of Barrels of Oil May Lie Under Northern Plains
AFP:Oil Price Hits $115 Barrel
WR Grace to Pay $3Billion to Asbestos Victims
Montana:History, Geography, Population and State Facts
Chronipedia, an Encyclopedia
(Posted 04/30/2008)
Yeah, I know I'm late...but too much was going on in May...
I'm out of the political scene, lost in the Primary to a home-town boy
But I think I'll still continue with some outside-the-campaign politic'ing
In the News:
Interior Proposes Concealed Weapons in Nat'l Parks (5/08)
A Trip Down Memory Lane: BLM
BLM Oil/Gas Report Misleading (MT)
you may remember Kim Prill from "The Uncivil Service", rewarded as a member of the hit team that took me out...
BLM Drafts Plans for Pompeys Pillar (MT)
Landowner Seeks Access to Public Land at Belfry (MT)
BLM to Fund New Public-Access Staff (MT)
Ranchers wants you to ask for permission to access public lands...
Road Closure Puts County in Quandary (MT)
Ex-Rangers File Petition Against OHV's (BLM)
BLM News Releases (MT)
BLM - 1998, 264Million acres, BLM - 2008, 258Million Acres...do land exchanges explain the decrease in your public lands?
MCFO Land Exchange, First Phase
Indian Trust Lawsuit:Interior Disputes $58Billion Claim Over Royalties Mismanagement
Judge Seeks End to 12Year Indian Trust Case (Interior)
Lawsuit
Hearing Depicts BIA as Awash in Chaos and Havoc(Interior)
Report Indicates Interior Playing Republican Politics in Wildlife Decisions
USGS Critiques Interior's Water Deals With Farmers (BOR)
Lawmakers Divided Over Oil Shale (BLM CO)
Legislature Wants Polar Bear Study (Interior)
Critics:Polar Bear Plan Must Fight Global Warming (Interior)
Groups To Sue Over Oil Impacts to Polar Bears (6/08)
Oglala Sioux Could Regain Badlands National Park Land (NPS)
NV Rancher Awarded $4.2M for "taken" Water Right (FS)
Environmental News:
EPA Official Ousted While Fighting DOW Chemical Over Dioxin Contamination (5/08)
White House Blocked Rule Issued to Shield Whales (NOAA)
Uranium Claims Spring Up Along Grand Canyon Rim
US Closes Most of West Coast to Salmon Fishing
Oxygen-Poor Ocean Zones Are Growing
Gulf "Dead Zone" Could Be Largest On Record
Some Oil Companies Settle MTBE Pollution Lawsuits
Big Oil Defends Profits Before Senate Panel (5/08)
Senate Republicans Block Windfall Taxes on Big Oil (6/08)
Renewable Energy Industry Fears for Future
Toxic Chemicals in Food Packaging and DuPont's Greenwashing (Teflon)
Social Issues:
SILENCED:Freedom of Speech
Nuclear's CO2 "Will Climb", Environmental Cost
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., Monsanto Co., Deere & Co., etc.
Grain Companies' Profits Soar as Global Food Crisis Mounts
From Welfare State to Police State
Will Taxpayers Be On the Hook for Subprime Crisis?
It's Our Web
The Hybrid Holdup:Fresh Batteries
Welcome to Montana!
Wild-Eyed Hairy Mountain Man
Ranch Was Offered to FWP at Lower Cost
(Posted 06/11/2008)
Busy time...trip to AR/AL and some writing...seasonal chores, etc. I'm behind schedule!
In the News:
Interior...still giving away the farm...over 70% of oil shale is on public lands...
Interior Proposes Lower Royalties on Oil Shale
Interior Dept. Opens 2.6 Million Acres of AK for Oil Exploration
Interior Dept Sued Over Wyoming Drilling (TRCP)
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (Pinedale Anticline)
Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development (Interior)
Indian Affairs Web Site Reconnected (Indian Trust Case - BIA)
Judge:Expect Lower Award in Indian Trust Case
BLM Made Right Call on Not Stalling Solar Energy Development
BLM Freezes Solar Energy Projects (Interior)
How to Strangle An Industry (BLM)
Interior Announces Decision to Protect Polar Bears (ESA)
USFWS Release Final Spotted Owl Plan
Bush to Veto Timber Payments Bill (Secure Rural Schools)
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone to Hit Record Size (NOAA)
Predicted Largest Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone on Record
Journal Study Shows World's Wildlife Already Hit by Climate Change
Climate Report Adds More Gloom (USDA)
Final Report:Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate
Study: Global Warming May Cause Rise in Kidney Stone Cases
China Study: Children, Coal Don't Mix
EIP Releases Report - Oil from Canadian Tar Sands
Homes in Foreclosure Top 1 Million
US Treasury $10 Billion Clean Tech Fund Gets Skeptical Response (Emissions)
As Price of Grain Rises, Catfish Farms Dry Up
An American Life Worth Less Today ($6.9 Million)
NTEU Applauds Supreme Court Decision Extending Anti-Discrimination Protections to Federal Workers
Lautenberg Introduces Legislation To Compensate Soldiers Forced Into Extended Military Service (Stop Loss)
World Bank Urges More Focus on Contraception
The Energy Non-Crisis (L Williams)
A Victory for the Corporation - It's Done:Exxon Valdez Spill
making a profit (for some time now) of over $10 Billion every (3) Months...Exxon, One of the World's Worst Corporations...
After Screwing the Folks in Alaska Exxon Doesn't Want to Pay Interest Charges on $507 Million Punitive Damages
ExxonSecrets
World Stocks Sag as Oil Price Surges
House Republicans Block Democratic Effort on Oil Leases
Supreme Court Upholds Second Amendment (right to keep and bear arms)
Public Comment Period Extended for Guns-in-Parks Rule
Welcome to Montana!
Montana Viewpoint (Jim Elliott)
The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land to Purchase 320,000 Acres of Plum Creek Land
Judge Restores Protection for Wolves
Poll: Who Should Pay for Livestock Losses (Wolves)
(Posted 07/22/2008)
Just for Fun!
Say Hello! to the Wild-Eyed Mountain Man!
WEMM #2
WEMM #3
WEMM #4
It's time for me to hit the Woods with bow & pointy stick!! and Elk are on the hit list!!
In the News:
Abramoff:"I am not a bad man" (Corruption - Interior - Griles - Norton?)
What a slap in the face... $48 Billion Claim Vs $455 Million decision...I should think so (Appeal)...
Appeal of Indian Trust Case Promised (Interior)
$455 Million Ruling in Indians Lawsuit (Interior)
"Employees who tried to report contaminated sites threatened with retaliation"...retaliation is nothing new at Interior/BLM...
IG Audit: Abandoned Mines Pose Big Risks (BLM - Interior)
Ruling Upheld for BLM WhistleBlower at NV Mine - Illegal Firing (BLM - NV)
"Off-Road Rage" Climbs - ATV's Vs Other Public Lands Users (BLM)
Roan Plateau Oil & Gas Lease Auction - Aug. (BLM)
Palin - AK Will Sue Over Polar Bear Listing (Interior)
Fire Specialist Has Seen it ALL (BLM - MT)
Tongue River - Deer Creek EA (BLM - MT)
Public Meetings: Mountain States Transmission Intertie Project (BLM, FS, MT DEQ)
Coalbed Methane Development Supplemental EIS Report Due (BLM - MCFO)
BLM Made Right Call on Not Stalling Solar Plants (July 2008)
Bush Administration Proposes to Give Agencies Power to Eliminate Independent Scientific Reviews (Interior - Endangered Species Act)
Feds Rush to Weaken Workplace Safety Rules
Another corrupt Republican...not a big surprise...
Senator Charged - AK Ted Stevens (corruption/bribes/$250,000.00 in "gifts")
AK Underscores GOP Troubles (Stevens)
Stevens Indicted - Longest Serving Republican Caught Nursing at Oil Company Teat, an old crook still at it...
Steven's Phone Calls Recorded - Public Corruption Investigation
Obama Favors Offshore Drilling
"Dead Zones" Appear in Waters Worldwide - Effect of Fertilizers
Report: Increased Fire Risk Linked to Global Warming (NWF)
Humboldt County Tree Sitters, Timber Firm Call a Truce
Arctic Ice is At Climatic "Tipping Point"
US Gov't to Pay $1.1 Billion in Oil Lease Case
Gov't to Pay $1.1 Billion
Congress Goes on Recess Without Passing Energy Legislation - Aug. 2008
and they've been posting record (billions) quarterly profits for at least the last (2) years, probably longer...
Exxon Posts US Record $11.68 Billion Quarterly Profit
Exxon's 2nd Quarter Earnings Set a Record (for Greed)
one of the world's worst corporations continues to screw Alaskans...
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Supreme Court Justices Decline to Decide on Exxon Interest Payment
Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act (2007), a Trip back in Time...
MIT Researchers Make Solar Power Breakthrough
GAO: Iraq's Oil Profits Huge But US Taxpayers Shoulder Reconstruction Costs
Welcome to Montana!
Crow Tribe Strikes Deal for $7 Billion Coal to Liquids Plant Project
4th Fire This Month - Rehberg Ranch Estates (July 2008)
Why You Might Favor Zoning in Montana
(Posted 09/03/2008)
Lots of archery hunting in Sept, but the elk was elusive this year...time to sight in the big gun...
The same week the Inspector General says Interior suffers from "a culture of ethical failure"
the U.S. Office of Government Ethics gives Interior an award for ethical achievement - go figure.
In the News:
surprise, surprise...;>)
Interior Ethics Scandals Involved More Than "A Few"
Interior Employees Accused in Sex, Gift, Contract Rigging Scandal (MMS)
OIG Investigations of MMS Employees
Report:US Oil Program Rife with Conflicts, Favoritism, Promiscuity (Interior/MMS)
"...despite royalty fees ranking among the lowest among 104 nations..."
GAO Report:Taxpayers Cheated Out of Royalty Payments By Gas, Oil Companies (BLM/MMS)
GAO Opens Probe Into Gas, Oil Drilling in Utah (BLM - UT)
2009 Fed Budget: Public Land Mgmt Agencies Could Take Heavy Cuts
BLM WhistleBlower Wins Appeal (BLM - NV)
PEER:Bush Admin Shuttering EPA Libraries, Information Access Blocked
Deadlines Set for Designating Polar Bear Habitat (Interior/USFWS)
Energy Bills Explained
Google Proposes $4.4Trillion US Energy Plan to Cut Fossil Fuel Use by 88%
Oil-Shale Go-Ahead Called "Fire Sale" by Officials in Colorado (Interior/BLM)
Oil Drilling in Environmentally Sensitive Areas: The Role of the Media
State OK's Protection of Wildlife from Drills
Groups Urge Lawmakers to Revive Whistleblower Bill (GAP)
Western Forests Face a Flammable Future
Arctic Sea Ice Melting Slows Down, For Now
Fed Study Says Grizzlies Thriving in Montana (USGS)
Beetle Invasion Seen Changing Weather
"Deadly Dozen" Diseases Could Stem From Global Warming
Gore Urges Civil Disobedience to Stop Coal Plants
NewsCenter:GLOBAL CRISES COMPOUND REFUGEES' WOES
News Stories Censored:Ten news stories mainstream media ignored this year
Democracy in Action - Political Campaigns, Political Action
TRCP Supports Idaho Roadless Rule
Welcome to Montana!
Public Health Emergency: Bush White House Blocked Libby Declaration
Denny Rehberg:Members of Congress Votes Database
Key Votes by Dennis Rehberg
LTE:Fact Checking Denny Rehberg
Former timber lobbyist joins state agency
Billings Gazette - Montana Outdoors
New World Record Elk
(Posted 10/09/2008)
I've been busy...hunting...Sept, Oct, Nov...
In the News:
Job shifts at Interior Dept. mean Bush appointees will stick around...
Interior Motives
Interior Dept. Protects Bush Appointees by Converting Positions to Career Civil Service Jobs
BLM Proposes Opening Up Utah Wilderness to Drilling
BLM Opens 360,000 Acres of Utah Public Land to Drilling, Details Murky
Tribe Files Law Suit Against Interior/BLM (NV)
Interior to Boost Geothermal Energy Use on Public Lands
Interior Rushes to Ease Endangered Species Rules
Agencies Rated on Scientific Candor
2008 National Environmental Scorecard
Arctic Temperatures Hit Record High
The Rate of Warming is Unprecedented
Exxon Breaks Own Record for Profits, Again
Court Voids Shell's Beaufort Sea Drilling Plan (MMS)(EIS v EA)
Study Points to Major Source of Natural Gas in Alaska (USGS)
Is Natural Gas Drilling Endangering Water Supplies?
BLM Opens 2 Million Acres of Alaska Land to Mining
Wyoming Range Bill Looks Dead for Year (PLMA)(Public Lands)
Republican Senator Ted Stevens (AK) Convicted on Seven Felony Counts
Alaska Senator Ted Stevens Found Guilty
Alaska Senator Ted Stevens Loses Re-Election Bid
Civic Literacy Report
(Posted 11/30/2008)
2008 Ends...2009 Begins. I'm looking forward to next year and the continuation of my "Thanks!" to the Montana BLM.
On December 21st 1998, BLM gave me a Christmas Present. I will continue to give back tenfold and I hope to be around to
piss on the graves of the responsible individuals. Happy New Year! GF
In the News:
Salazar & Interior's Scandals
Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar picked to head Interior Department
GREEN GROUPS WANTED GRIJALVA FOR INTERIOR SECRETARY
Report:Interior Dept Meddled With Endangered Species Act
An effort to make it easier to open public lands to mining, such as uranium mining on one million acres near the Grand Canyon...
Interior Dept. Changes Rule to Remove Congress Veto
Utah Activist Disrupts Sale of Leases for Drilling (BLM - UT)
BLM Backs Off Plan to Issue Drilling Permits (BLM - UT)
CALIFORNIA DESERT’S SIX MILLION ACRE QUESTION MARK (BLM - CA)
Judge scales back ruling on roadless Nat'l Forests
Bush Administration Moves to Allow Guns in National Parks (Interior)
Drillers eye oil reserves off California coast (Interior)
RMP, New Rules for Breaks (BLM - MT)
Plan Approved for 18,000 Gas Wells in SE Montana (BLM - MT)
No EA, Suit Challenges BLM on Global Warming (BLM - MT)
Land plan restricts motorized vehicles, Butte (BLM - MT)
BLM OK's 1255 Gas Wells in NE Montana (BLM - MT)
Time To End Racial Quotas & Preferences
Bush Dodges A "Bullet", Shoe Thrower A Hero in Iraq!
Alberta: Polluted tar sands ponds leaking
Alberta tailings ponds leaking contaminants into water supply
Welcome to Montana!
Fire Suppression Interim Committee 2007-2008
(Posted 12/31/2008)