Road Renews White Peak Fight--Rancher’s Plans Raise Access Issue

COMMENT:
In spite of the cease and desist order by the Attorney General and the pending decision on the White Peak land swap by the New Mexico Supreme Court, David Stanley and the State Land Office Commissioner Pat Lyons continue to move ahead on the development of the new road access to White Peak.

Mora County Land Use Commissioner, Rumaldo Pino, said during the Mora Commission meeting August 14th, that any attempt by either Stanley or the Land Office to close the County Red Hill road C-010 would bring the county into this issue since it is county jurisdiction.

Excerpt: "Under conditions of his trade with the Land Office, Stanley can’t close any road until he’s built another access point into White Peak."

That issue will be up to Mora County government not the State Land Commissioner. It is generally not the county's tenor to close a maintained county road.

There appears to be little regard to the cease and desist order by either Stanley or Lyons.

EXCERPT: "From the standpoint of the Office of the Attorney General, the best course of action for all parties is to hold off on the construction of Mr. Stanley’s proposed road,” the letter, dated Aug. 19, says. It goes on to say that building the road “conflicts with the stay issued by the (Supreme Court).”

We will see what happens given that Stanley and Lyons are pushing the envelope with their actions.

Drilling Mora County


By Phil Parker Journal Staff Writer
Journal Santa Fe

Private rancher David Stanley began building a road into the White Peak area earlier this month, reigniting controversy over the much-contested swaps between the State Land Office and private owners involving thousands of acres north of Ocate in northeastern New Mexico.

Stanley said the new road is not quite finished. And it won’t be, not until state government agencies can untangle exactly what’s supposed to happen in White Peak.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has yet to rule on the legality of the White Peak land trades, negotiated last year between Land Office officials and four different ranchers....continued...