Also on Monday, the White House released a proposed rule that would overhaul the BLM’s grazing regulations, reviving and advancing an earlier effort to weaken government oversight on 155 million acres of public land across the West. The rule would eliminate public input on grazing policies and leases; loosen BLM oversight on overgrazing; and redefine grazing to exclude all animals except domestic livestock such as sheep and cattle. A 60-day comment period will open on Tuesday.
High Country News and ProPublica reported that roughly two-thirds of public lands grazing is controlled by just 10% of permittees, including large corporate and billionaire-owned operations.
“The gutting of the grazing regulations reflects the Trump Administration’s war on science and evidence-based decision-making,” said Chandra Rosenthal of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. “Coupled with the drastic reductions in staffing levels to monitor and manage grazing, our public lands will continue to suffer.”