Christ. Now we got EA's for potential races. :shaking:



BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT!

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

Comment Needed On Planned 1,000-Mile Vegas to Reno Off-Highway Race

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tonopah Field Office, will conduct an environmental review and hold two public meetings to gather public comments on a proposed off-highway race.

The race, planned for August 20-22, 2009, is called the "Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno Off-Highway Race" and covers 1,000 miles of Nevada's high desert. It begins north of Pahrump and runs through Beatty, Tonopah and Hawthorne before finishing southeast of Dayton.

The Best in the Desert Racing Association, which is seeking a special recreation permit from the BLM to conduct the race, bills it as the "greatest long-distance, off-road event in this decade on U.S. soil."

As many as 350 vehicles could be entered, including motorcycles, ATVs, dune buggies, high clearance SUVs and 4x4 trucks. The race route uses a combination of existing smooth and rough dirt roads on public lands in Nye, Esmeralda, Mineral, Lyon, and Douglas counties.

The proposed course includes routes that have been raced upon in the past. It would include 24 pit areas, several stop check locations and several highway and road crossings along the route. Time trials for the race will be conducted Aug. 18 on a five-mile course on the Upper Knight Ranch Road near Las Vegas.

The BLM will prepare an environmental assessment that analyzes the impacts of the proposed race and will accept written public comments until March 6, 2009.

The agency also plans to gather comment at two public scoping meetings to be held in Beatty and Goldfield (see schedule below). Both meetings are scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

February 24, 2009, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Beatty Town Hall, Beatty, NV

February 25, 2009, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Goldfield Community Center, Goldfield, NV
The meetings will be in an open house format and may include a brief presentation. At each meeting, there will be comment forms for your use.

Representatives from Best in the Desert and the BLM will be present to answer questions you might have. If you would like your name removed from this project's mailing list, please contact Eric M. Williams, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, at (775)482-7800.

The BLM prefers that written comments be mailed. Written comments on the scope of the EA must be post-marked or delivered by 4:30 p.m. on March 6, 2009.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment-including your personal identifying information-may be made publicly available at any time.

Written Scoping Comments Should Be Mailed To:
Bureau of Land Management
Attn: Eric M. Williams
Tonopah Field Office
1553 South Main St.
PO Box 911
Tonopah, NV 89049

COMMENT DEADLINE IS MARCH 6, 2009

For additional information regarding the Special Recreation Permit application or the EA, call Eric Williams at the Tonopah Field Office at (775) 482-7800.

JUST REMEMBER, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IS CRUCIAL TO KEEP RECREATION AREAS OPEN, PLEASE GET INVOLVED!

Thanks in advance for your support,
Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager

I do not know if anyone realizes this...

but this is some SERIOUS SCARY SHIT! :mad3:

They are requiring that an Enviromental Assessment be done in order to get a "special use" permit for the race. :shaking:

This sets a TERRIBLE precedent, and we need to nip this one in the ass ASAP!

Think about it....does this mean in the future an EZ needs to be done for the Jeeper's Jambo on the Rubicon? For Sierra Trek on Fordyce? For the King of the Hammers? For an OHV event ANY public Lands??

I am working on getting an e-mail for the public comments.

BITD is having to perform and Environmental Assessment in order obtain it's special use permit for the the Vegas to Reno race this year in August. I spoke with Casey Folks and he does not anticipate any findings that would cancel the race.

However, it is to our advantage to make sure the BLM knows how many folks support BITD and all they do to reduce environmental impacts along the race course.

There is no email address, so these need to be snail mailed ASAP.

Please write, and send this letter in support of Best in the Deserts Vegas to Reno Race:

Bureau of Land Management
***** Attn: Eric M. Williams
***** Tonopah Field Office
***** 1553 South Main St.
***** PO Box 911
***** Tonopah, NV 89049



Dear Mr. Williams,

Please accept this letter as my comment on the Scoping Process for the Environmental Assessment to be performed for the Special Use Permit issuance to Best in the Desert Inc.'s Vegas to Reno event.

I am in favor of this event. It is understood that Casey Folks, BITD Inc. has been cooperative and environmentally sensitive to any and all environmental impacts this event could cause, and has always been proactive in preventing such impacts.

The event also produces a substantial amount of revenue that communities from Vegas to Reno have come to rely upon. In estimation 15 - 20 million dollars in revenue benefits the local economies. In the current economic situation, the absence of these dollars would greatly impact the local businesses.

I also have learned the Mr. Folks helps communities repair roads along the race course, and last year spent $60,000.00 making repairs to roads in these communities.

In addition, the Bureau of Land Management is reimbursed for all costs and fees relating to this event, it is called a proffer account. Best In The Desert must post a proffer account to pay for all of the BLM event related fees.

Approving the Special Use Permit for this event would be a win-win combination for all involved.

Thank you for you time.

Sincerely,

There is always NEPA done for a race. An EA for a race is nothing new. Most of the time you can use an existing EA, it depends if something has changed since the last EA was done. Last year the permit was appealed by the CBD because they claim the BLM did not include some toad in the previous EA. This year the BLM is doing a new EA so they are not blindsided by the enviros again.

Don't think there is something evil about an EA, it's just the cost of doing business. Casey knows that and this ain't his first or last one. Every time we race on a new course we get a new EA. Thats why we try to stay on routes that have current NEPA.

Send a comment to the BLM... (the enviros will) just tell them that you support the V2R race and Casey has a good record of runing races for the last hundred years or so... (sorry Casey but you have been doing this a long time:smokin:)