CONTACT:     Tanya Augustson, (202) 347-0228, taugustson@beef.org

                        Joe Schuele, (720) 987-4783, jschuele@beef.org

 Public Lands Ranchers Applaud BLM’s Efforts to Strengthen Grazing

Washington, D.C. (June 17, 2005) – The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for its proposed revisions to the grazing regulations in today’s Federal Register.  The EIS demonstrates grazing’s role as a vital component of multiple-use management of America’s western rangelands.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC), while still reviewing the details of these proposed regulatory changes, are encouraged that the Department of Interior has recognized the need for greater balance among the multiple uses recognized on BLM lands.

“We are grateful to the Bush Administration for taking a step toward a regulatory system that will better enhance the business climate for our nation’s public lands ranchers,” says Jeff Eisenberg, Director of Federal Lands for NCBA and Executive Director of PLC.  “The BLM is taking steps towards strengthening the future of our industry,” says Eisenberg.

BLM Director Kathleen Clarke said, “Our agency feels strongly that the public lands should be managed in partnership with those closest to the land.” 

This final EIS on the proposed revisions reflects over 18,000 public comments received by the BLM, and many of the suggested revisions enhance the partnership between permittees and the federal government. 

“Forty percent of Western beef cattle inventories spend some time grazing on public lands,” says Eisenberg. “Public lands grazing helps economically support families and communities where ranching is important.” 

In addition, the preservation of rural landscapes and open space native to the West is at issue.  “Maintaining open space and the cultural fabric of the West is a concern for ranchers who graze cattle on public lands and on adjacent private lands,” says Eisenberg. The American Farmland Trust reports that 11 percent of all prime ranchland in the Rocky Mountain West, which translates into nearly 9 million acres, is threatened by conversion to development by 2020.

“Ranching is one of the recognized uses of our public lands,” Eisenberg says. “We’re hopeful the regulatory system put in place will enable further contributions of public lands ranching on Western economies and to the management of the lands themselves.”

###