El Dorado County supe wants better cooperation with state, feds
By Carlos Alcalá, Sacramento Bee
El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting is hoping his county can wield the word “coordination” like David wielded his slingshot.
Nutting has been frustrated with decisions from the big guys – the state and federal government.
The state has curbed dredge mining in the creeks of his county – the very name of which suggests gold – and imposed fire protection fees that he has likened to illegal taxes.
The federal government has closed popular off-road vehicle routes and limited grazing on federal lands, decisions he feels hurt the economy.
By invoking a concept known as “coordination,” Nutting expects the county can get higher authorities to come to the table as equals before they make decisions that affect El Dorado County.
He is asking his fellow supervisors Tuesday to approve an advisory committee to help “coordinate activity to assure consistency with our local plans and policies as required by congressional mandate.”
Advocates – including an Idaho group called Trademark America – say “coordination” is covered under federal rules and requires authorities to coordinate their plans with agencies on a local level.
“This is not fighting the federal government,” Nutting said. “We’re not forcing it, it’s the law.”
There are disagreements, though, on what that law requires.