Grazing Improvement Act Update

After much persistence and patience from Western livestock producers and the Public Lands Council, another step forward was made to streamline the National Environmental Protection Agency or NEPA's onerous review process that the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have had to go through for renewal of grazing permits on federal lands.

Dustin Van Liew, Executive Director of the Public Lands Council shares more of the Senate Committee passage

Van Liew: "The Grazing Improvement Act Bill just before Thanksgiving moved through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. It was moved to the full Senate on a strong bi-partisan voice vote so we are happy to see it make that progress. We've been working on this legislation on behalf of the western livestock producers and cattlemen for over four years now -- spanning two sessions of Congress. So this was a major step in the process."

Although it's a step forward, there was also language added in an amendment to the bill that causes concern for the livestock industry as Van Liew explains

Van Liew: "In the process of being marked up in the Senate committee there was language added to the Grazing Improvement Act that would allow for limited buyouts in two specific states -- Oregon and New Mexico out West -- this is something we remain concerned about and are opposed to. As it works through this overall process in the Senate and the House, we will continue to work to have that language removed. It does not make sense to allow for third-party extremist groups to apply pressure to buyout permits."