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March 28, 2024 3:26 pm
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EDITORIAL: Just You Wait For All Those Economic Benefits!

The advocates for a newly designated Gold Butte National Monument have long trumpeted the idea that a monument designation would bring untold economic stimulus to the surrounding communities. They reason that a new Monument would put the area on the map as a major tourist destination. Folks would hustle in from all over the world to visit. And nearby businesses: grocery stores, tour companies, restaurants, outfitters, and suppliers would enjoy a renaissance of economic benefits.
“Just wait!” they say. “Your communities will be literally rolling in the benefits. Trust us.”

Maybe so. But where have we heard that before? Well, it was used just last summer to try and assuage the fear and anger of Lincoln county residents at the creation of the 704,000 acre Basin and Range National Monument. At the announcement of that designation, Senator Harry Reid, the real mastermind behind Basin and Range, assured the outraged residents of Lincoln county that the benefits in eco-tourism that would come would far outweigh the losses they were perceiving in more limited access to the land.

“What I say to the people in Lincoln county is: Don’t worry about this,” Reid said. “This is going to be great for you. This is going to be an attraction. It is going to be world famous. World famous!”

That sounds fun. But just last week a small item appeared in the regional news. Ironically, it was regarding a long-standing event that actually is world-famous. The Best In The Desert annual long distance race is world renown. For nearly 20 years, the event has been promoted as a “Vegas to Reno” offroad race. It has traditionally begun near Beatty, NV, traversed more than 500 miles, and ended in an area near Reno.

But this year, for the 20th anniversary, the race was planned to be something special. It would be starting in Alamo, a tiny town in Lincoln County. What a huge opportunity for a little rural town! More than 200 racers and their followers gathering there to start an epic event!

The new, 640 mile point-to-point course is being billed as the “The Longest Off-Road Race in the U.S.” And the biggest attraction is that the new route will wind through the just-designated Basin and Range National Monument. It would cross about 40 miles of the monument; being restricted, of course, to only long-existing designated dirt roads.

Well, this was great news! Isn’t that just what the National Monument advocates had in mind? It is all that the residents of Lincoln county were promised: big money coming to their businesses. World famous!

But wait. Apparently there were a few provisos involved with those promises. After all, we really shouldn’t have too much fame or economic stimulation. So rather than being pleased for Lincoln county’s good fortune, the enviros are rising up in arms against it.

The Washington-based Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has appealed to the White House to put the brakes on all of this excessive economic stimulus. The group claims that the BLM is entirely out of line in even considering this permit. Since Obama’s designation states that the monument covers one of the “most undisturbed corners” and the “largest ecologically intact landscapes” in the Great Basin region, there must be additional rules imposed for permitting events like this, PEER says. They demand a more detailed and extensive environmental impact statement (EIS) to be required.

Problem is, the race is set to be held this August. Requiring a full EIS would most likely far overrun the short time between now and the scheduled start date. It would certainly exceed the event’s budget. In short, it would shut the whole thing down.

But what about all that enticing talk of economic stimulus to the area? What about “world famous?” Oh, well, that was all fine to get the yokels on board. But no one ever dreamed it would actually happen!
If it is permitted at all, this year’s race is likely to be the last. It may make it through the permitting process this time. But rest assured, it will be blocked in the future. If the enviros get their way, Lincoln county won’t be seeing any more “world fame” for a long time.

One can only wonder if there are any key similarities between this and the promises being made regarding a future Gold Butte National Monument. Well, just don’t wonder about it too long!

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