BLM Publishes Final Environmental Impact
Study
on Changes to Grazing Regulations
WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Land Management today announced the
availability of a final environmental impact study that concludes upcoming
grazing regulation changes will produce long-term benefits for public
rangelands. An official notice of the study’s availability will
be published in the Federal Register on Friday, June 17, 2005.
“This environmental impact analysis underscores grazing’s
role as a vital use of public lands in the rural West,” said Rebecca
Watson, assistant secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals. “The
revisions will improve BLM’s management of public lands ranching,
an activity that not only supports rural economies, but also preserves
open space and wildlife habitat in the rapidly growing West.”
The final environmental impact study, posted on BLM’s national
Web site (www.blm.gov/grazing),
analyzes the impact of the upcoming grazing regulation revisions, including
their ecological, cultural, social, and economic effects. More specifically,
the study examines the impact of a grazing management option that tracks
with the provisions of the upcoming grazing regulation changes, as well
as the effects of two other management alternatives.
BLM Director Kathleen Clarke said, “This environmental impact study
shows that grazing management under the new regulations will produce long-term
rangeland health benefits. These benefits include increased vegetation
along stream banks, which will reduce soil erosion and provide more habitats
for wildlife.” Under the new regulations, she noted, the BLM’s
grazing management decisions will be based on better information about
rangeland conditions.
Clarke added, “Our agency feels strongly that the public lands
should be managed in partnership with those closest to the land, and that’s
why we sought extensive public input on this regulatory initiative.”
The BLM received more than 18,000 comments on a draft impact study and
a proposed set of regulations, which preceded the agency’s work
on the final version of those documents.
The new grazing regulations, to be published next month in the Federal
Register, are aimed at improving BLM’s working relationships
with public lands ranchers. The revisions also reflect the agency’s
commitment to managing the public lands for multiple uses, including grazing,
while ensuring the health and productivity of these lands.
The revisions will retain key elements of the “Rangeland Reform”
initiative that revised grazing regulations nearly a decade ago. Specifically,
the regulations will continue the role of BLM’s Resource Advisory
Councils, composed of citizens across the West who advise and make recommendations
to the agency on public-land issues. The revised regulations will also
leave intact the rangeland health standards and guidelines developed by
the RACs.
In general, the forthcoming regulations seek to:
- improve the agency’s working relationships with those holding
BLM grazing permits and leases;
- advance the bureau’s efforts in assessing and protecting rangelands;
and
- address certain legal issues while enhancing administrative efficiency.
In addition, the new regulations will continue to require the bureau
to consult with the interested public on key matters, such as developing
or changing grazing activity plans; planning rangeland improvement programs;
and developing reports that are used as the basis for BLM decisions affecting
grazing permits or leases.
The BLM manages more land – 261 million surface acres – than
any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western
states, including Alaska. The bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion,
also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout
the nation. The agency’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the
health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment
of present and future generations. The BLM accomplishes this by managing
such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development,
and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural,
and other resources on public lands.
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