Nevada Governor May Sue if BLM Won’t Pony Up for Mustang Roundups

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval says he's considering legal action to force the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to pony up some money to pay for roundups of wild horses that have been put on hold because of budgetary constraints.

BLM State Director John Ruhs asked agency leaders in Washington earlier this month to approve money for a series of gathers in northeast Nevada's Elko County, which boarders Idaho, where ranchers are being asked to curtail livestock grazing due to lingering drought.

The agency currently plans no large-scale roundups in Nevada this year because of budget shortfalls driven largely by the cost of housing more than 45,000 mustangs in government holding facilities across the country.

Sandoval said Tuesday if the Interior Department refuses to provide the necessary funding, he'll "pursue all legal options" to protect Nevada's ranchers and rural communities.