As Western Journalism reported earlier this year, criticism against the Bureau of Land Management’s intrusive tactics were not limited to the widely publicized standoff at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott joined forces to demand answers from the federal agency regarding indications that it would attempt to seize a significant amount of land along the state’s northern border.
Abbott, currently the favorite to succeed Perry as governor, sent a letter to BLM Director Neil Kornze in April expressing his concern and requesting specific information about the reported land grab along the Red River.



Breitbart reported Wednesday that Kornze finally responded almost two months later; however, Abbott noted the conspicuous absence of direct answers. His dissatisfaction led him to send another letter in an attempt to pin down the agency’s true motivation and intent.
“While I appreciate your response,” Abbot wrote, “your letter fails to adequately answer the most important legal questions raised in my April 22 letter and the testimony recently provided by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) only serves to underscore just how important it is that BLM provide answers.”
The attorney general cited a sworn statement by Texas landowner Pat Canan, who affirmed that the BLM has its sights set on turning 90,000 acres into federal land–despite the fact that it was deeded to Texas in 1858 and has been used by ranchers in the state ever since.
“The BLM’s apparent attempt to strong-arm Texas landowners out of the land they have cultivated and lived on for generations is unacceptable,” Abbott continued. “And the BLM’s failure to provide clarity regarding the ultimate process or timing for completing its land-grab is imposing serious economic damage on Americans without due process.”
Abbott noted the inconsistency in Kornze’s assertion that the BLM is interested in preserving property rights and the actions the agency continues to take against landowners.
“Frankly,” he wrote, “the BLM appears to be more concerned with expanding its property holdings – at the expense of private landowners – than it does with doing the right thing and recognizing the rights of generations of Texas families who have owned, cultivated, and paid taxes on this land.”
Lamenting the agency’s continuing move toward “simply claiming private land as its own,” Abbott once again sought the answer to two central questions included in his previous letter: “(1) what land does the BLM now claim belongs to the federal government; and (2) what is the legal basis for that claim?”
The vagueness of Kornze’s answers permeated his response, Abbott claimed, prompting him to draft a follow-up letter.
“With that in mind,” Abbott concluded, “I hope the BLM will reconsider its course, quickly and directly address claims to private lands in Texas, and redress the harm it has already caused to Texans who own property along the Red River. In the meantime, I look forward to your prompt response to the questions I reiterate above.”