A New Look at the Role of NEPA on Public Land Grazing Issues
Photo by: Amber Dalke
Project Funder
Arizona Cooperative Extension, the Arizona Cattle Industry Research and Education Foundation, the Natural Resource Users Law & Policy Center, and the Marley Endowment for Sustainable Rangeland Stewardship
Since the early 1900s, the federal government has regulated the use of forage by domestic livestock on its lands through the issue of grazing permits. These programs are administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Forest Service (USFS), and in the case of some national monuments, the Park Service. As with other users of these lands grazing allotment permittees must comply with federal regulations, including numerous environmental restrictions. These pages review the extent and uses of public lands, the goals of the agencies that manage them and their users, the impacts of grazing, and the laws and regulations meant to reduce potential negative impacts.