Grazing rights rescinded for controversial Eastern Oregon ranchers
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Interior has rescinded a January Trump administration decision to grant grazing allotments to an Eastern Oregon ranching family whose members were convicted of arson in a court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 memo Friday from the Interior secretary’s office found that the Trump administration hadn’t allowed for sufficient time to receive and consider public challenges to the permit for Hammond Ranches Inc. It directed the Bureau of Land Management to further consider the matter.
Steven Hammond, co-owner of the ranch, and his father, Dwight, were both convicted of arson for setting fire to range land and sent to prison for mandatory five-year sentences.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the latest action came just days before the cattle were expected to be turned out on public lands neighboring the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon.
Steven Hammond, co-owner of the ranch, and his father, Dwight, were both convicted of arson for setting fire to range land and sent to prison for mandatory five-year sentences.
Their return to prison to complete their sentence on a judge's order led to the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days in earlier 2016. One occupier, LaVoy Finicum, was shot dead by Oregon State Police. They say he reached for a pistol at a roadblock.
President Donald Trump pardoned the Hammonds in 2018, allowing them to be freed from prison. In 2014, when Barack Obama was president, the BLM denied Hammond Ranches a grazing permit renewal, saying it “does not have a satisfactory record of performance” and cited numerous incidents of arson.
W. Alan Schroeder, the attorney representing Hammond Ranches, declined comment to The Oregonian/OregonLive on Friday’s development.
Four environmental advocacy groups on Thursday sued the Interior secretary and BLM, saying last month’s permit approval on the final day of the Trump administration was “tainted by political influence” and that a “rushed and truncated public process” cut out opportunities for the public participation required by law.
News release:
Oregon Farm Bureau Statement on Hammonds’ Grazing Permit
February 26, 2021, Salem, Oregon: The Hammond family are long-standing pillars of the Harney County community who have been subjected to continued government overreach while sustainably managing their ranch for the benefit of the local community, local ecosystems, and generations of their family.
The decision to issue their grazing permit should be a criteria-based process, and one that BLM approaches objectively.
The Hammonds have demonstrated several times that all applicable factors favor them being restored their permit, including the family’s record of stewardship, their ownership of intermingled private land and several range improvements, and their contributions to the local economy.
It is fundamentally unfair to continually subject this family to ever-changing regulatory whims, and in the process, jeopardize their livelihood, proper rangeland management, and ability to fully utilize their private lands.
The Hammonds’ permit should be restored, and the family should be allowed to move forward with their lives in peace.
