The NEC contends that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by filing a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for [...]]]> The Nevada Environmental Coalition (NEC) at a news conference on Friday, Jan. 29th accused the Bureau of Land Management of failing to provide legally required oversight of the Clark County Shooting Park.

The NEC contends that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by filing a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the park, thus abrogating its duty to write up a full blown Environmental Impact Statement.

In the NEC’s response to the FONSI, available here (.doc), the NEC had the following concerns:

• The BLM based the FONSI on out-of-date data.
• The only way to obtain up-to-date information would be to do a full Environmental Impact Study for the park.
• The BLM failed to take into consideration the effects of large numbers of visitors, including out-of-town tourist traffic, on the surrounding neighborhoods.
• Local officials for the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Clark County ignored the impact of the park when making zoning decisions about surrounding areas. For example, why wasn’t the surrounding area zoned commercial or mixed-use instead of residential? (Hmm. Why not put some gasoline stations around the park? That way errant bullets will fly into gas pumps instead of people and the family dog. More collateral damage for your buck, public officials!) Of course, the answer was obvious: back in the bubble, local officials were happy to kowtow to developers and carpet bomb the valley with housing developments.
• Citizens of Nor’Town won’t be able to tell the difference between shots fired at the park and shots fired during a holdup, or the weekend disagreement at the local watering hole. Now, that’s a very important Nor’Townie survival skill they’re messing with there.

And apparently the park won’t be solving one of the problems officials  – like state Senator John Lee – promised it would. The park was supposed to reduce and possibly eliminate the practice of folks heading out into the North Valley Wash and setting up illegal practice  targets for their gun play. There have been reports, however, that such “rogue” target practice continues just south of the park.

Yeah, about where the proposed national monument will be. I guess mammoth bones make pretty nice targets.

So, what happens when the BLM trots out to do environmental impact studies for the national monument and finds all the traffic, noise, dust, litter, corpses, and leaching lead incompatible with a national monument? Crank up the shooting park fees to pay for the clean-up?

At least the Commissioner takes his own advice: he packed his ass and moved near Overton. Maybe so he wouldn't have to live near the Shooting Park?

Senator Harry Reid and tons of the usual suspects were up near Nor’Town brandishing weenie surrogates and expounding their love of guns, and, if Freud’s right, weenies, at a dedication for the Clark County Gun Park. (Sun)

Nothing apparently gave them pause, such as the fact that the [...]]]> Did I say cigar? I meant weenie.

Senator Harry Reid and tons of the usual suspects were up near Nor’Town brandishing weenie surrogates and expounding their love of guns, and, if Freud’s right, weenies, at a dedication for the Clark County Gun Park. (Sun)

Nothing apparently gave them pause, such as the fact that the park may still face some tough environmental reviews from the Environmental Protection Agency. (Sun) Or that the park wasn’t set to open for a month or two. Or that Nevada is a leading exporter of illegal guns used for crimes. (NorT) Or that Nor’Towners feel like we already live in a gun park, what with the weekend shoot outs at the local waterholes and débutante balls.

Perhaps our overlords simply wanted to signal that all talk of environmental review is a sham to be squashed under the thumb of the Nevada delegation like a desert tortoise under a landmover.

It’s enough to tempt one to look for a new Republican senator in 2010, except that both parties seem to fear such a lack of mojo that they feel the need to join in the lord-of-the-flies dance that we Americans dance around our powder-filled weenie surrogates.

Still, the occasion was not without amusement. One can imagine Clark County Commissioner Collins staying up all night washing the hand that shook the Gøøbers’ paw, all for naught. After all, the Gube now reeks of mojo, we hear, so much so that…

Then again, Mr. Collins has had his hand in so many pockets, a judge has recently pronounced that he can’t vote on a construction project. (Sun) So a little Gøøber mojo on the dactyls might not bother him.

Say, is it me, or does Nevada politics now look like a bad Austin Powers sequel?

Cross posted from Vote Gibbons Out!

Greenspun, Inc., has largish article about possible expansion of environmental studies vis the Clark County Shooting Park and Lead Dump up near the proposed Ice Age national monument. (Sun) Looks like the interest in turning the area into a national monument might put pressure on the feds to do more thorough studies [...]]]>

You're Peeking!

Greenspun, Inc., has largish article about possible expansion of environmental studies vis the Clark County Shooting Park and Lead Dump up near the proposed Ice Age national monument. (Sun) Looks like the interest in turning the area into a national monument might put pressure on the feds to do more thorough studies of the environmental impacts of the shooting park.

The reasons offered for an upgrade in environmental studies are worth a read.

Folks behind the push for an upgrade of environmental studies at the park: Nevada Environmental Coalition

Elsewhere: Nor’Town’s representative on the County Commission, Tom Collins, who assures us that the County will be shoving the shooting park down neighbor’s throats, flipped flopped royally on Prive licensing yesterday. (Sun)

Check out my new Twitter feed dedication to North Las Vegas: http://twitter.com/NortownNV