(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a bipartisan bill this week hoping to support ranchers who graze their livestock on federal lands.
Wyden introduced the Operational Flexibility Grazing Management Program Act to U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming.
“After adopting the Bureau of Land Management’s pilot program, Eastern Oregon ranchers worked closely with me to include updated operational flexibility in my community-crafted Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act to bring certainty, conservation and economic opportunities at the forefront of Malheur County’s future,” Wyden said in a news release “Today I am pleased to work with Senator Barrasso to leverage the work of Oregon ranchers and deliver for the rest of the West. the tools to adapt in real time to changing and seasonal conditions and variations in climate caused by the climate crisis while managing grazing on rangelands. These authorities will recognize ranchers who choose to use them as active participants in improving health. ecological of our public lands.”
Wyden’s office said the bill would improve livestock grazing management on federal lands by allowing livestock operators to adapt and respond to emergencies, such as droughts or wildfires, more flexibly.
“The federal government owns more than 52% of Oregon’s land mass, much of this land is open space used for livestock grazing and recreation,” said Matt McElligott, president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. “The flexibility provided in this Act will put management decisions on these lands in the hands of local scientists and the permit holders who lease them. Oregon’s public lands ranchers are committed to environmental stewardship through land-based management. in science. Public land ranchers sequester carbon, protect valuable wildlife habitat, and reduce the incidence of wildfires by removing fine fuels from the landscape. Our public land ranchers are critical to the economic viability of the economy. rural Oregon. This Act is a step in the right direction in the responsible management of federally owned lands in Oregon and throughout the western United States.”
If signed into law, the Operational Flexibility Grazing Management Program Act would do the following, according to the release:
- Expand a national grazing program at the Bureau of Land Management that will allow approved grazing permit holders more flexibility in how they manage the federal rangelands they use.
- Require the BLM to develop and authorize flexible grazing use alternatives upon request of the permittee or grazing lessee, in consultation with affected federal and state agencies, applicable tribes, and other affected parties within the allocation.
- Provide adjustable pasture rotation dates up to 14 days before and after the specified time period to respond to changes in weather, forage production, fire, drought, market conditions or other temporary conditions.
- Require BLM to establish cooperative monitoring plans and rangeland health objectives to monitor and evaluate the impact of the program in coordination with permittees.
The livestock industry is Oregon’s primary agricultural product, generating more than $900 million annually for the state economy.
Most of the state’s cattle ranches are located in Malheur, Morrow, Harney, Klamath and Lake counties. These cattle graze on private and federal forest ranges and forests; They graze on arid lands not suitable for agriculture, according to Oregon Fresh.
You can read Wyden’s proposed bill. here.
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