Here Lies Tombstone - Killed By The Federal Government

I know obama and his minions hate the state of Arizona because it has challenged his lordship on issues pertaining to illegal immigration, voter id, and obama's eligibility to be president. But have they seriously reached the point where the feds are willing to let an Arizona town wither and die due to a lack of water - especially when the lack of water is due to the actions of the federal government itself?

In a nutshell, ranchers and the U.S. Forest Service used to keep undergrowth in check in the national forests through a combination of thinning, removing dead or diseased trees, and prescribed burns. But over the last decade or so "these efforts have been put on hold because the Forest Service is constantly being dragged into court, using taxpayer dollars by environmentalist groups through the Equal Access to Justice Act, to prevent any management of the forests." Consequently, tinder and fuel built up over the years, culminating in last summer's massive AZ wildfires. Then when it finally rained there was nothing to prevent mudslides and erosion, because all the plant life had been burned off.

Specifically, last year the water supply lines to the Arizona town of Tombstone (yes, that Tombstone) were severely damaged in a flood caused by heavy runoff over a burnt-out area.

Since the damage, Tombstone residents have been fighting to repair the water lines, but because they run through a wilderness area, the feds are saying the only option they have is to literally dig up miles and miles of water lines by hand. Why? Machine use in wilderness areas is prohibited by federal law.

Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Frank Zapata denied Tombstone, Arizona’s emergency request to restore its Huachuca Mountain municipal water supply. Over nine months ago, the historic town’s 130-year-old water system was destroyed by massive flooding resulting from torrential rains and the destruction of surrounding forests in the Monument Fire.

Despite the burial of water reservoirs and water lines under boulders the size of Volkswagens and as much as 12 feet of mud, the Court denied Tombstone’s request to allow it to use mechanized and motorized equipment to restore its water system. In denying the request, the Court ruled that the town did not exhaust efforts to obtain federal permits to use the equipment despite nine months of continuous efforts by the town to secure the U.S. Forest Service’s cooperation. The Court was not moved by a state of emergency declared specifically for Tombstone by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

The city of Tombstone has property rights to the water from its source, and to access roads and pipelines delivering the water to the city.

Until last year, the U.S. Forest Service recognized and respected those rights, which date back to the days of Wyatt Earp. Today, the federal government denies they exist and refuses to allow Tombstone to restore more than three of its spring water catchments.

The saying here out West is that whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting. Arizona has already shown that it's not afraid to stand up to the federal government. I'm willing to bet that this will be a water-fight the feds will regret.

(H/T to iOwnTheWorld for the link.)