Supervisors Look Into Coordination With Federal Government
Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Supervisors held a study session Tuesday to look at whether to insist on having formal coordination with the federal government related to land use management plans.
The main speaker was Fred Kelly Grant, the President of the Texas based American Stewards of Liberty.
“Under federal law the Forest Service manages the forest for the Congress just as the Bureau of Land Management manages the grazing land, and no county has the authority to say ‘you will follow our plan,'” says Grant. “What the county does have is the opportunity to insist that the agency sit down and discus plans with them in an attempt to resolve any conflicts in policy, where there would be adverse impact on the economy or environment of the county.”
Under law, when a local government notifies that they expect to be coordinated with, the burden to comply is on the agency. The agencies are required to give the local government full disclosure of any studies they may be pursuing, any actions they are considering and notice of all activities they are taking up that could affect local government’s jurisdiction.
Also speaking to the Board was Margaret Byfield, the Executive Director of the American Stewards of Liberty. It was noted at the meeting that the pair’s trip was funded through a fundraising effort by TuCare.
No action was taken at Tuesday’s meeting, as it was designed to be informational.
Written by bjhansen@mlode.com.
