Wang Junbin lost his job at the land bureau.

Wang Junbin, back at the land bureau, produced documents that appeared to raise questions about how the $150,000 package had been handled.

Officials at the land bureau note that the drilling site is a quarter-mile from ancient rock art or other historic places.

The land bureau concedes that its oversight has failed to keep pace, and it has stepped up enforcement.

In the last year, the land bureau has lost two court challenges to its environmental plan for opening federal lands to gas drilling in the basin.

While in Congress, he proposed the creation of a land bureau to give Western lands to freedmen.

But catching them is virtually impossible because the land bureau has only one ranger to patrol the area.

Likewise, Mr. Colvin, 63, had nothing kind to say about the land bureau.

The federal government owns 87 percent of the land in Nevada, according to the land bureau.

He said the company would be glad to sell back its lease but the land bureau would not agree to the sale.