Of the Bureau of Land Management’s 261 million acres of surface land, 160 million acres are authorized for livestock grazing as part of the BLM’s multiple-use mandate. The goal of the rangeland management program is to create sustainable, working landscapes that are economically sound and ecologically healthy.

Ranching families have played a key role in the history and development of the American West and are important to the economic vitality and quality of life for many Western communities. In addition, the rancher increasingly plays an important role in protecting open space in areas of increasing population growth.

The BLM administers more than 18,000 grazing permits and leases, which are issued to ranchers who pay fees and must comply with environmental laws and regulations.

The BLM has proposed a set of regulatory changes aimed at improving the Bureau’s management of public lands grazing in the rural West in a Grazing Final Environmental Impact Statement. More specifically, the proposed regulations are intended to improve the BLM’s working relationships with public land ranchers, conserve rangeland resources, and address legal issues while enhancing administrative efficiency.

The BLM undertook this regulatory initiative in recognition of the economic and social benefits of public lands grazing, as well as the role of ranching in preserving open space and wildlife habitat in the rapidly growing West.

This also includes range inventory and monitoring, rangeland health assessments, and grazing administration actions, such as renewing grazing permits; processing grazing-use authorizations; preparing grazing allotment plans; undertaking range improvement projects; and controlling invasive weeds.