Interior chief: Bundy will be held accountable

INCLINE VILLAGE — Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Wednesday she is confident that Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy, who with armed supporters faced down federal officials over grazing cattle on public land, will be held accountable.

“Cliven Bundy has had multiple court orders to remove his cattle from federal public lands and he has not paid his grazing fees and he has not abided by the law,” Jewell told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We will continue to pursue that.”

Jewell spoke in Incline Village, where she was to deliver the keynote address to the Western Governors’ Association later in the day.

In April 2014, Bundy supporters from around the country congregated on his remote Southern Nevada ranch after Bureau of Land Management officers tried to round up his cattle for failing to pay $1 million in grazing fees over the past 20 years.

A tense standoff ensued before federal officials backed down and the cattle were released back to the range.

“The safety of our law enforcement officers and the safety of people that represent land managers at every level is of paramount importance to me,” Jewell said.

“The wheels of justice move at their own pace,” Jewell said. “I am confident this issue is going to be appropriately resolved.”

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb.