This bill, called the "Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act," allows ranchers to temporarily use vacant federal grazing land if their original land is unusable due to natural disasters, ensuring grazing can continue while prioritizing land health and restoration.
John Barrasso
Senator
WY
The "Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act" allows the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to provide temporary grazing land to permit or lease holders whose original land is unusable due to natural disasters. It outlines terms for these temporary permits, prioritizing ecological conditions and coordination between agencies. The bill ensures temporary use doesn't alter original permit terms or future grazing rights and requires the Secretaries to establish implementation guidelines and evaluate land health conditions.
Emergency Grazing Bill Offers Relief to Ranchers Hit by Natural Disasters, But Raises Environmental Concerns
The "Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act" aims to throw a lifeline to ranchers facing extreme events like wildfires or floods. Specifically, SEC. 2. allows the government to temporarily open up vacant grazing allotments to ranchers whose usual pastures are unusable due to a natural disaster. Think of it like this: if a rancher's land is scorched by wildfire, they can apply to move their livestock to unused federal land while their home turf recovers.
Disaster Relief for Ranchers
The core of this bill is about providing quick relief. When disaster strikes, ranchers can apply to graze their livestock on vacant federal allotments. This keeps their operations running and, ideally, prevents livestock losses. The bill instructs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to work together, offering up vacant land regardless of which agency manages it. This is a practical step, recognizing that disasters don't respect bureaucratic boundaries. The bill also requires guidelines to be created in one year, to spell out the process, including who gets priority and how to make sure the land is suitable.
The Fine Print: Time Limits and Land Health
Importantly, this is temporary. The bill states that using vacant land doesn't change a rancher's original permit (SEC. 2.), and they retain the right to return to their original allotment. The duration of the temporary grazing is determined by two things: the condition of the vacant allotment and how long it takes the original land to recover. The bill mandates periodic checks on the health of these vacant grazing lands, which, in theory, helps to keep the program running smoothly and sustainably.
Reading Between the Lines: Potential Downsides
While the bill offers a safety net, there are valid concerns. The text emphasizes "ecological conditions" (SEC. 2.) but it is less specific on how those conditions will be assessed and enforced. Overgrazing, even temporarily, could damage sensitive ecosystems. There's also the question of how "temporary" these arrangements will be. While the bill states it doesn't change original permits, prolonged use of vacant allotments could become a point of contention. Finally, while the bill mandates land health evaluations, the effectiveness of these evaluations will depend on funding, staffing, and consistent application of standards.