Don’t Let NEPA Drive Cattle Off Public Lands

Ranchers grazing cattle on public lands should not be penalized because the government can’t process the backlog of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) applications, says Brenda Richards.  The ranch operator from Murphy, Idaho, represented NCBA and the Public Lands Council in Nov. 10 testimony before the House Resources Committee. Richards testified on problems with the NEPA.

The hearing was one in a series of meetings the Committee has held to gather information so it can rewrite NEPA regulations.  NCBA had requested a hearing to further educate Congress about the issue and the need for reform.

“Businesses, families, and communities cannot fail because the government does not complete paperwork,” says Richards.  “It is hard to imagine that the authors of NEPA would have intended to harm personal businesses, lives and communities.  But the cumbersome consideration of environmental consequences mandated by NEPA leaves public land ranchers on a precipice of uncertainty.”

 NCBA and the Public Lands Council historically have worked with agency officials on the issue.  Both groups have called for legislation that would prevent interruption of grazing permits while federal agencies struggle to meet environmental documentation obligations required by the grazing permit renewal process.

 “Agencies have been unable to complete NEPA requirements prior to the expiration of grazing permits, which often requires the livestock be removed from the land while the permits go through the renewal process,” says Jeff Eisenberg, director of federal lands for NCBA.  “This causes disruption and uncertainty for the tens of thousands of small businesses in rural communities that rely on public lands for grazing.”

 “In a state like Idaho, it would be impossible to sustain a ranching operation such as ours without the use of public lands for grazing,” says Richards.  “In my county, Owyhee County, the federal government owns over 76 percent of the land.” 

Nearly 40 percent of all cattle raised in the West spend some of their lives on public land allotments. 

 Richards emphasized to the Committee that ranchers would generally not seek relief from NEPA nor exemption from environmental requirements.  “But it seems wrong to us that our livelihoods should be harmed because the government is unable to complete its statutorily mandated paperwork,” says Richards. 

 Eisenberg says:  “Grazing is one of the statutorily recognized uses of public lands.  The legitimate interests of our industry deserve to be reflected in the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the use of public lands.”