U.S. Forest Service Sues New Mexico and Otero County

From therepublic.com -The U.S. Forest Service filed a lawsuit against the state and Otero County over management of forest lands, after the county passed a resolution last year saying it intended to begin following an 11-year-old state law on the issue. The U.S. attorney's office said in a statement the U.S. Constitution forbids New Mexico and Otero County from supplanting federal policies on land and fire management. The legal action filed Feb. 7 followed efforts by the Forest Service and U.S. attorney's office to legally satisfy the concerns of Otero County commissioners about mitigating fire risk due to extreme drought conditions in the forest. "However, the United States Constitution forbids New Mexico and Otero County from supplanting the federal government's land and fire management regime with its own state- and county-specific policies that disrupt the numerous interests the federal government must balance when developing and implementing fire management plans," the statement says.  More News New Mexico

U.S. Forest Service Sues New Mexico and Otero County