He stopped paying the fees when the BLM stopped maintaining the land that was agreed upon. And he has kept up maintaining the property on his own dime. I wish more freepers would get the whole story. This is just like the kid who had his flag flying upside down and had the Marines take it. The freepers had no Idea what the protests were about, yet they were quick to judge. This is the same kind of thing. I can’t believe freepers are believing anything the Government is reporting. And why is his cattle being killed and buried? That is good ole fashion cattle rustling by the BLM. I AM CLIVE BUNDY.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. If the BLM was not performing it’s duties according to contractual specifications, you take them to court. You don’t stop performing your part of the contract while still benefiting from it, i.e. stop paying while still grazing.
That just guarantees losing in court. The BLM has documentation of non-payment. Does Bundy have documentation of BLM’s specific non performance of contractual obligations. Or is that just his story now?
Or is that just his story now? Bundy is right on the general issue of federal ownership and management of public lands, unfortunately he’s wrong on the law. He should never have stopped paying the fees.
No.
The 1984-1993 Taylor Grazing Act contract on the old Bunkerton allotment expired. It was time to enter into a new agreement, just as the Bundy family had been doing every ten years since 1934.
The new grazing agreement offered by the BLM contained a provision drastically reducing the number of livestock that Clive Bundy could graze on the allotment because the allotment was the habitat of desert tortoises, which the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services had declared and Endangered Species in 1989.
That wasn't acceptable to Cliven Bundy, so he didn't sign the agreement and ceased paying grazing fees.