Stewart and Hatch Introduce State Pilot Program to Protect Grazing Rights

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced a state grazing pilot program that will allow states to enter into 20-year cooperative agreements with the Secretary of the Interior, granting them the ability to manage up to two federal grazing allotments or more if granted a special waiver.

Senator Hatch said, “The rapid decline in grazing levels in Utah is a travesty, both for the ranchers that rely on grazing for the support of their families and businesses, and for the health of the land. For the past several decades we’ve seen a significant decline in rangeland health. Our state grazing pilot program will allow Utah and other states to develop initiatives to manage the federal lands within their borders, tailored to their individual needs and circumstances, and will allow states the opportunity to demonstrate their ability as responsible stewards.” 

“Both my wife and I grew up on farms and ranches,” Stewart said. “Having grown up working with cattle, I understand the importance of grazing rights. Grazing is critical to communities all over rural Utah, and I believe our communities have the expertise and passion to best manage their own grazing lands. I’m doing all I can in Congress to protect Utah’s grazing rights, including pushing for this state grazing pilot program.”

Background

Grazing levels on federally owned public lands in the West have been in decline over the last 50 years, and are now at the lowest levels we have ever seen. Ranchers are continually having their Animal Unit Months (AUMS) reduced as environmental extremists continue to fight against any and all grazing access on public lands.

Studies have shown that grazing is an important component to improving both rangeland and wildlife health. While the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has overseen a dramatic decline in each, states have been implementing innovative forage and wildlife management programs on state-owned lands that are both ecologically and grazing friendly. These state-run grazing pilot programs would allow states to experiment and implement these programs on larger allotments of land. Not only could ranchers in the state benefit but the program could demonstrate that states are fully capable of responsible land management. The Utah Department of Agriculture has voiced support for this bill.