Here’s an example of two bureaucracies shaking hands across a barbed wire fence as Governor Joe Lombardo and the Bureau of Land Management work like two old mules who finally agreed on what direction to plow.
It appears the Governor, a gentleman with a keen eye on Nevada’s dusty horizon, has gone and inked what the city folks call a “Data Sharing Agreement” with the BLM—a long-winded term meanin’ they’re fixin’ to swap notes on what bits of God’s forsaken scrubland might one-day suburbs, strip malls, or parking lots. It’s the sort of arrangement that gets men in suits mighty excited–but for the average sagebrush philosopher, it just sounds like the government talkin’ to itself a little louder than usual.
“I’m pleased to announce the State’s joint agreement,” quoth the Governor, with a straight face and manicured nails.
He claims this paper pact will “improve our ability to share critical data,” which is politician-speak for passin’ maps and numbers back and forth while trying not to trip over each other’s ambitions. The man’s heart seems in the right place, though, bless it.
Over yonder, BLM Nevada’s acting chief, Kim Prill, chimed in like a Sunday school teacher with a fresh lesson plan. She says they’re eager to pass along data “as efficiently as possible,” which is quite the hopeful statement from an outfit known for takin’ three weeks to answer a telegraph.
The agreement itself, drafted in the language of fine print and finer intentions, outlines four noble goals–first, to figure out which parcels of windblown wasteland might be up for grabs–the second, to save a penny or two in the process–thirdly, to keep from doubling up on the same map twice–and fourth, to ensure that whatever information does get passed around is more accurate than a prospector’s guess.
It’s like a dance between the State and the Feds, each hoping not to step on the other’s toes while they waltz across Nevada’s sun-baked terrain. One can only hope the information flows faster than the Humboldt River in August and that the whole endeavor results in more homes, fewer headaches, and enough red tape to keep the bureaucrats happy without binding the rest of us in knots.
The Old Blog in the Desert 