Washington, DC — Even as the health of federal rangelands is in serious decline due to overgrazing, the Trump administration is embracing a policy of maximizing commercial livestock operations, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).  The new policy implements “a goal of a no net loss of Animal Unit Months (AUMs) within allotments” and maximizing “authorization of livestock use” across vast Western rangelands.

The policy is contained within a March 31, 2026, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture. The MOU governs commercial livestock operations on 155 million acres of rangelands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 75 million acres of grazing allotments on national forest land administered by the U.S. Forest Service. The stated purpose of the agreement is to promote commercial grazing on these public lands and to “protect America’s ranching heritage.”

Grazing by domestic livestock is by far the most widespread human-caused impact on range conditions—including habitat quality, riparian functioning, and endangered species—exceeding the combined impacts of logging and mining. As a result, most BLM allotments do not meet the agency’s official Land Health Standards for minimum quality of water, vegetation, and soils, as well as the ability to support wildlife. Nonetheless, last year, the Trump administration rendered “inactive” a BLM policy prioritizing the monitoring and analysis of livestock grazing on public lands in sensitive habitats.

The new MOU makes no mention of rangeland environmental conditions except to direct that any “issues” be mitigated “before permanently reducing AUMs [Animal Unit Months are the equivalent of a cow and a calf grazing for one month] or vacating an allotment.” Instead, the agencies plan to “deregulate,” “streamline,” and “incorporate beneficial flexibility.”

“This policy appears to put the health of the livestock industry above the health of the public lands made available for use at rates well below market costs,” commented PEER Western Lands and Rocky Mountain Advocate Chandra Rosenthal, pointing out that the multiple-use mandates for these two agencies are being distorted to favor only one use. “The Trump administration does not appear to care that commercial livestock grazing exacts an enormous toll on native ecosystems and wildlife throughout the American West.”

The MOU also contains unusual provisions to benefit private commercial operators, such as –

• Establishing “immersion and training programs for new and existing federal employees to the daily life, decisions, and dilemmas of ranchers”;
• Investment in “new grazing technologies to lower costs for grazing lessees and permittees, such as voluntary virtual fencing”; and
• Focusing resource assessments on “vacant grazing allotments” to assess resource needs to promote their availability for leasing.

“These perks for the commercial livestock industry come as the Trump administration is decimating these agencies’ scientific staffs and evading legally required environmental reviews,” Rosenthal added. “Rather than ‘immersion training’ in ranching, federal employees should be getting immersion training in protecting public resources.”

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Read the MOU between BLM and the Forest Service 

Look at declining rangeland health due to overgrazing

See how BLM and USFS avoid eco-reviews of rangeland health

Revisit Trump rescinding policy to protect rangeland health

Note recent Trump cuts to rangeland health assessment

PEER protects public employees who protect our environment, natural resources, and public health. We support current and former environmental and public health professionals, land managers, scientists, enforcement officers, and other civil servants dedicated to upholding environmental laws and values across federal, state, local, and tribal governments.