Report Summary

Across the United States private companies graze livestock for profit on millions of acres of public land. Livestock grazing on public lands can degrade soils, reduce native plant diversity, alter water quality, and disrupt wildlife habitat, often leading to long-term ecological damage if not carefully managed. Companies keep their cattle, goats and sheep in National Parks, National Monuments, in designated wilderness, on more than 60 % of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands and throughout much of our National Forests.

The majority of the permits that Forest Service grants to these businesses are Term Grazing Permits issued to companies for ten years and are eligible to be renewed. At the time of the permit renewal, the agency is required to modify the permit to ensure consistency with the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). The Forest Service is required to assess the land and resources of the permit with a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review.

This report examines the administrative loophole that allows the U.S. Forest Service and BLM to routinely reauthorize livestock grazing permits without conducting environmental review. It explores the risks to rangelands when permits are renewed without proper analysis and provides an overview of U.S. Forest Service grazing permit renewal data.