Editorial: BLM must abide by dust rules

We all know the Las Vegas Valley has a severe airborne dust problem that needs to be harnessed. The Clark County District Board of Health did its part by approving new dust abatement regulations that require participation by owners of vacant land.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared that our dust problem creates a human health hazard that must be corrected if we are to avoid sanctions, such as a freeze on federal highway funds and new road planning. But another federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management, initially had the gall to think it was not part of the problem despite owning the largest amount of vacant land in the valley.

It now appears as though the BLM has come to its senses and may be softening its position. BLM assistant field manager John Jamrog now says the agency will determine whether the federal government has the money to pay for its share of dust abatement. We believe the land agency must come up with its share of the estimated $36 million it will cost to control the dust.

Failure of the BLM to abide by the new regulations would be akin to a federal employee driving his government-owned car 80 miles an hour in a 35-mph speed zone simply because he believed local traffic laws did not apply to him. It would be like a federal agency taking its garbage to an illegal dump.

Here is a perfect opportunity for a federal agency to serve as a role model in local efforts to clean our air. It would be a shame if the BLM shirked its public duty.

If the federal government wants to play hardball and issue threats of sanctions against Nevada, it had better make sure that it is playing under the same rules.

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