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<br />0015l1G <br /> <br />I. <br /> <br />- 6 - <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />charts, on the asset management program. The thrust of this <br />presentation by Carruthers, and amplified by the Secretary, was that <br />the press was full of erroneous reports about what they were doing, <br />and that what in fact they were doing was conplying with FLPMA, and <br />they were not selling off or proposing to sell off wilderness areas, <br />wild and scenic river areas, national parks, wilderness study areas, <br />et cetera, and that the sale criteria would be strictly followed by <br />the Department in deciding what land to dispose of. He explained <br />that disposal did not necessarily mean sale. He believes that there <br />are plenty of opportunities for pUblic involvement in the process <br />and that in addition to the provisions provided in FLPMA, he would <br />personally extend to any Governor the opportunity to nominate <br />additional tracts for disposal, or to take tracts that were to be <br />disposed off the block. He made a point particularly to me of <br />making sure that I briefed Governor Lamm wholely on this subject <br />because Governor Larnm was still operating under many misimpressions <br />as to what the asset management program meant. <br /> <br />Governor Babbitt then jumped into the discussion at this <br />point and said that in spite of the briefing, he was still very much <br />opposed to the asset management program of Interior. His point was <br />that Arizona was trying to make rational sense of some of their land <br />use patterns, and that they need to block up pieces of land as <br />between states, federal and private landowners. His concern was <br />that Interior was "selling the swap base." Instead, he wants a <br />process to make a corcerted effort to clean up the whole <br />checkerboard land use pattern in Arizona. He claims that the BIM <br />tracts are the script for these exchanges. <br /> <br />There then ensued a brief discussion about the problem of <br />mineral ownership on exchanged BIM lands, and the Secretary <br />explained that he felt the solution for this was to unitize the <br />mineral interests, and that was what was going on in Utah, and that <br />he felt was working very successfully. In conclusion on this <br />subject the Secretary offered to help states if they wished to block <br />up their lands in a manner that Governor Babbitt was suggesting. <br /> <br />The subject also then turned to in lieu selection lands <br />and the Secretary said two or three times that he felt Colorado was <br />dragging its feet with respect to final selection of our II,OOO <br />acres of in lieu lands. I did not respond specifically to these <br />implications, but it was my belief (and still is) that we are not <br />dragging our feet but that serious problems of valuation remain.to <br />be solved. (Later in the day I had lunch with Garrey Carruthers, Bob <br />Burford and Jack Rigg and confirmed that my impression was correct.) <br /> <br />I also mentioned to the Secretary our need for a firm <br />. corrmitment from him to push through on the Fort Carson BIM land <br />