Washington, DC — Today a letter was sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee as consolidation of the House and Senate bills occur. Enter a caption Today a letter was sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee as consolidation of the House and Senate bills occur.
The letter was from Raul Grijalva (R-AZ) asking that only $6 million additional funding be given to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro program for a “pilot program.” The letter request that only the temporary fertility control agent Porcine Zone Pellucida fertility control vaccine (PZP) be increased instead of other substances. The letter also asks that no additional funding be utilized for sterilization.
This letter does not go far enough. The BLM is operating under acting Chief William Perry Pendley. Pendley is engaged in serous breaches of Ethics rules as he pushes the agenda of his former law clients like the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA). The WSGA was party to litigation, with Perry as council, that pushed for mass removals of wild horses. The agenda being pushed by BLM under Pendley is urging mass removals, the largest ever seen in the US, as well as a resumption of open sales to slaughter.
Last month Wild Horse Education (WHE) filed a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that addresses multiple conflicts of interest. Pendley is forwarding the agenda of former clients that appear on his recusal list.
“The corruption of the BLM under Pendey, and before him Brian Steed former Chief of Staff for Chris Stewart (R-UT) is a pure abomination. BLM was supposed to file a Report to Congress on the program over 5 months ago.” stated Laura Leigh, President of WHE.
“Without informed and open debate that the report would allow Congress is operating solely at the will of multi-million dollar corporations and their lobby groups.
“Congress needs to freeze the program at current levels and open a serious investigation into the corruption in the program as it multiplies rapidly. Holding this to a “pilot program” is yet another deal with one more paid lobbyist. The extra funds will increase removals without addressing the fact that BLM still can not justify it’s actions in field. In 2013 the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) stated that they could not tell what was fact and what managers just made up to justify removals.
“It makes you ashamed of our entire system.” Leigh stated.
