Forest Service, BLM streamline grazing permits

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior said on March 31 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to streamline grazing permits and other approvals on public lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The two departments said the agreement is meant to cut delays for permit renewals, range improvements and emergency actions affecting ranchers who use federal allotments. (usda.gov) The move is part of a broader Trump administration push to support cattle producers and expand coordination between the two land agencies. The policy has drawn support from cattle groups and criticism from environmental organizations, which say the administration is weakening oversight of public-land grazing. (federalregister.gov) ### What exactly did the agencies announce? Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the March 31 agreement would strengthen coordination between the Forest Service and BLM on grazing management across federal lands. The departments said the memorandum builds on USDA’s Grazing Action Plan and is intended to make management “more efficient, transparent and responsive.” The USDA said the agreement is supposed to reduce delays for grazing permits, infrastructure improvements and emergency response actions. The departments also said it would expand direct engagement with permit holders and treat ranchers as partners in land management. (usda.gov) ### How much land and how many permittees are affected? More than 20,000 ranchers and farmers across 28 states graze livestock on federal lands covered by the two agencies, according to the USDA and Interior announcements. The departments said the Forest Service and BLM together are responsible for 240 million acres of federal rangelands. (usda.gov) The agencies said they administer more than 23,000 permits and leases on about 29,000 allotments. Those figures make the agreement significant for ranchers who depend on public forage in the West and for federal staff who process renewals and range decisions. (usda.gov) ### What changes are tied to the broader grazing push? The Bureau of Land Management published a proposed rule on May 12 that would revise grazing regulations and create a new part addressing land-health management. The Federal Register notice said the proposal would also update the rules governing administrative appeals of BLM grazing decisions. (usda.gov) The Public Lands Council, which represents federal grazing permittees, said the proposal would streamline permit renewals and restore what it called the multiple-use mandate. The group described the rule as a “landmark” reform announced alongside the repeal of the Biden-era Public Lands Rule. (usda.gov) ### Who is backing the changes? The Public Lands Council said on May 12 that it supported the proposed grazing revisions and the repeal of the conservation rule adopted in 2024. The group said the administration had delivered updated grazing regulations sought by ranchers using federal allotments. (federalregister.gov) Brooke Rollins said in the March 31 USDA release that the agreement showed the administration was “putting America’s farmers and ranchers first.” Doug Burgum said the plan was built on a partnership aimed at strengthening ranching operations while safeguarding public lands. (publiclandscouncil.org) ### Who is opposing the changes? Western Watersheds Project said the proposed rule would make “ecologically-appropriate land management even harder” and reduce public accountability for grazing decisions. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility said the changes reflected what it called a retreat from science-based decision-making. (publiclandscouncil.org) The Center for Biological Diversity said in an April 29 notice of intent to sue that the administration’s expanded grazing plan would harm wildlife on public lands across the West. Environmental groups have also objected to the administration’s decision to repeal the Public Lands Rule, which had put conservation on equal footing with grazing and other uses, according to advocacy groups and coverage cited by PEER. (usda.gov) ### What happens next? The May 12 proposed BLM rule is open for public comment until July 13, 2026, according to the Federal Register notice. The notice said comments on the rule’s information-collection requirements are due to the Office of Management and Budget by June 11, 2026. (westernwatersheds.org) The next formal step is the close of that comment period, after which the Bureau of Land Management and the Office of Hearings and Appeals will decide whether to finalize the rule. The docket is listed as BLM-2026-0001 in the Federal Register notice. (federalregister.gov) (biologicaldiversity.org)