House passes bill to lengthen grazing permits
Rep., Greg Walden, R-Ore., cheered U.S. House passage Thursday of streamlined grazing permits and doubling their length, from 10 to 20 years, calling it “common-sense legislation that would boost certainty for ranchers with grazing permits on federal land.”
The Grazing Improvement Act would streamline the process for renewing permits and double their duration. Walden is a cosponsor of the legislation, and helped lead a bipartisan majority to pass the plan.
“Ranchers in Oregon have faced years of bureaucratic delays and uncertainty. It’s time to cut away this unnecessary red tape. This common-sense bill would give certainty to Oregon’s ranchers, allowing them to focus on investing in their business, creating jobs, and responsibly managing the land. The Senate should pass it without delay,” Walden said.
If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the grazing legislation would extend the duration of BLM and USFS grazing permits from 10 years to 20 years.
To give ranchers greater certainty, it would codify provisions that Congress usually must renew annually to allow continued grazing on allotments while agencies work to complete the permit renewal process.
It would allow federal agencies more flexibility to use categorical exclusions when issuing and renewing grazing permits. And it would help maintain existing grazing allotments for ranchers in Oregon.
The grazing bill was included as part of the Public Access and Lands Improvement Act, legislation to promote public access to lands, cut away red tape to encourage job growth, and improve land management.
The Grazing Improvement Act was first passed by the U.S. House in June 2012. However, the U.S. Senate did not hold a vote on it, and it did not become law.
Last month, Congress passed and the president signed into law a plan supported by Walden that would block efforts by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to increase grazing fees. The bill also included funds to help reduce the long backlog of grazing permit applications.
