Ranchers could surrender federal permits to end or reduce grazing

Agriculture and Interior officials would accept and immediately cancel voluntarily surrendered grazing permits or leases. Eligible operators hold valid federal grazing permits or leases in the 16 named Western states. Operators must intend to permanently end grazing on all or part of the covered land. Officials would accept surrenders first come, first served. Permits covering land wholly or partly in a state would count toward its cap. The acceptance caps would apply each federal budget year.

Federal managers would prevent grazing from returning to retired land and keep shared-land grazing within its reduced limit. These rules would cover accepted surrenders on Agriculture and Interior Department lands in the 16 named Western states. Where another permit or lease remains in place, managers would reduce grazing to reflect the surrender. Managers would also make retired areas reasonably secure against unauthorized livestock grazing.

Federal managers would keep previously retired grazing areas permanently closed and issue no new grazing permits or leases there. Covered areas are Agriculture or Interior Department lands left vacant or closed through voluntary surrender of a grazing permit or lease. The earlier surrender must have followed an agreement with an outside party and aimed to end grazing permanently. Areas already retired as of the act’s effective date would be exempt from the annual acceptance caps. The permanent closure rule would apply to areas retired before the bill becomes law.

Operators who surrender permits would give up claims to permanent grazing structures on the covered land. This would apply to operators surrendering permits or leases through the proposed program. Covered property includes fences, structures, and other permanent fixtures used for grazing. Livestock, movable equipment, and diversions carrying water onto nonfederal land are excluded. Water rights and other valid rights existing when the bill becomes law would remain protected.