Oregon's governor said she's frustrated with the way federal authorities are handling an armed group's continued occupation of a national wildlife refuge and it's time to end it, reports the Bulletin.
Exasperated by a tense situation that has caused fear among some southeastern Oregon residents since it began Jan. 2, Gov. Kate Brown said at a news conference Wednesday that federal officials "must move quickly to end the occupation and hold all of the wrongdoers accountable."
"The residents of Harney County have been overlooked and underserved by federal officials' response thus far. I have conveyed these very grave concerns directly to our leaders at the highest levels of our government: the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House," Brown said.
The Democratic governor said the occupation has cost Oregon taxpayers nearly half a million dollars. "We'll be asking federal officials to reimburse the state for these costs," Brown said.
Brown spokeswoman Melissa Navas said in an email that number is coming from labor costs for an additional law enforcement presence in the area, including overtime, travel reimbursement, lodging and meals for officers.
Brown had scheduled the news conference to discuss her agenda for the upcoming legislative session, but she made it a point to deliver strong words about the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by Ammon Bundy and his armed group.
Federal, state and local law enforcement officers have been sent to the remote area but so far have avoided doing anything that might provoke a confrontation. One occupier was arrested for unauthorized use of a vehicle after driving a vehicle owned by the refuge into the town of Burns, and a Montana man who was stopped by Oregon State Police last week for a lighting violation was arrested on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
While many people in the region sympathize with Bundy’s complaints about federal management of public lands, they have expressed fear as the occupation continues, and there’s been a growing call for the occupiers to go home.
