KMIR 6 - Palm Springs News, Weather, SportsWhite Pine County joins cattlemen in lawsuit fight

White Pine County joins cattlemen in lawsuit fight

Associated Press - July 24, 2009 1:54 PM ET

ELY, Nev. (AP) - White Pine County is joining the Nevada Cattlemen's Association in a fight against a lawsuit that challenges livestock grazing on 25 million acres of public lands across the West.

Commissioners voted unanimously July 8 to participate in the challenge of the Western Watersheds Project suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management.

The case is currently before a U.S. District Court judge in Idaho.

The Western Watersheds Project suit challenges more than two dozen BLM Resource Management Plans and accuses the federal agency of violating environmental laws and regulations designed to protect dwindling numbers of sage grouse.

The cattlemen's association says the suit could devastate rural communities dependent on public lands.

Information from: Ely Times, http://www.elynews.com

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