The standoff in Bunkerville is about money, nothing more and nothing less. It’s likely that companies such as Glencore Xtrata intend to start mining in the area, and they can’t do that with cattle wandering around. They will need to have the area around their operations fenced and secure, so the Bundy cattle have to go, one way or another.
There are literally hundreds of mines in Clark County, Nevada. So many that you have to wonder how the land above doesn’t collapse. 101 of these mines are in the Bunkerville area, and of those 101 mines 58 are in Bureau of Land Management areas.
These are just the minerals in mines on BLM land. Other mines in the immediate area contain a huge variety of minerals including Olivine, sometimes known as Peridot, which is the next big thing in green energy. While on the subject of energy…