Ranchers whose case sparked Malheur standoff may get grazing rights back

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The federal government has proposed awarding grazing allotments to an Eastern Oregon ranching family whose members were convicted of arson in a court battle that triggered the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge by right-wing extremists.

The action by the Bureau of Land Management in favor of Hammond Ranches angered environmental groups.

Steven Hammond, co-owner of the ranch, and his father, Dwight, were convicted of arson for setting fire to range land and sent to prison for mandatory five-year sentences.

President Donald Trump pardoned the Hammonds in 2018, allowing them to be freed from federal prison.

In a proposed decision issued on Dec. 31, the BLM said Hammond Ranches should be apportioned all available forage in the Bridge Creek area grazing allotments in the high desert of Eastern Oregon, covering about 26,000 acres.

The federal agency cited the Hammonds’ “extensive historic use of these allotments, past proper use of rangeland resources, a high level of general need, and advantages conferred by topography.”

But in 2014, when Barack Obama was president, the BLM denied Hammond Ranches, Inc. a grazing permit renewal, saying it “does not have a satisfactory record of performance” and cited numerous incidents of arson.

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/wildlife-arson-land-management-oregon-environment-dd643146395a6acf82fbd766693e9333