The Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act (VGPRA)

A bill to authorize the permanent retirement of grazing permits and leases on Western public lands

A Brief History of Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Legislation and Executive Action

• Numerous specific land designation bills and Executive actions have included voluntary grazing permit retirement language the latest of which are the new National Monument proclamations for the Grand Staircase Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments.
• The first bill to authorize grazing permit retirement on all federal lands was introduced in 2003 by Republican Rep. Christopher Shays and Democrat Rep. Raul Grijalva.
• Subsequent versions of permit retirement legislation have been offered in nearly every Congress since culminating with the 2023 introduction of the VGPRA sponsored by Reps. Adam Smith and Jared Huffman.
• A great description of the case for and history of permit retirement by Andy Kerr can be found in the following links:
• Retiring Grazing Permits, Part 1: Context and Case for the Voluntary Retirement Option
• Retiring Grazing Permits, Part 2: History of the Voluntary Retirement Option
• Retiring Grazing Permits, Part 3: Future of the Voluntary Retirement Option

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The Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act

What the VGPRA Does

• Requires the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to accept the donation of a grazing permit or lease that is voluntarily waived by the permittee and ensure a permanent end to livestock grazing on the allotment covered by the permit or lease.
• Ensures that the no new grazing permit or lease shall be issued for allotments that have been administratively retired, i.e. permits that have been waived back to the agency for the purpose of ending grazing but without any legislative guarantee of permanence. Essentially back dating the check.
• Limits the total number of new permits that can be retired to 100 per year for all of the 16 Western States and 25 for each individual state

What the VGPRA Does Not Do

• Passage of the VGPRA would have little to no impact on the overall level of grazing on federal public lands. There are more than 24,000 grazing permits administered by the BLM and USFS.

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• The VGPRA does not “take away” grazing permits from anyone. The program is completely voluntary. Ranchers will only participate if it is their best interest.

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• Passage of the VGPRA will not lead to development of nearby private lands and ranches. There is no evidence from existing buyouts to support the ideas that ending public lands ranching leads to residential or commercial development of associated private lands.

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• Ending permitted grazing on specific parcels of public lands will not lead to increased risk of wildfire and invasive weed invasion. In fact, ending grazing will lead to the potential restoration of native plant communities and wetlands which are at much less risk of wildlife than unhealthy and overgrazed lands.

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USFS and BLM Grazing Permits and Leases in the Western United States

Examples of Ecological Recovery after Livestock Removal

• Paired photos from Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in SE Oregon
• Grazing Ended in the early 1990s with only passive restoration
• Studies indicate large increases in biodiversity, water retention, etc.
• See the full report at: Restoration of Riparian Areas Following the Removal of Cattle in the Northwestern Great Basin

Recovery on the Vya Ranch in NW Nevada seven years after the removal of livestock resulting from an administrative grazing permit buyout

How to Effectively Lobby Members of Congress and their Staff in Support of the VGPRA

Tips for Communicating with Members of Congress and their Staff

• Start with a personal connection if you have one.

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• Tell a personal story about how grazing on public lands impacts you and why you believe permit retirement is a great solution.

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• Look to past actions of the Member and mention those as reasons why they should also support grazing permit retirement.

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• Don’t assume the staffer or Member will be familiar with the bill. Be prepared to walk through the basics of what the bill does and how it works.

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• Expect questions about opposition to the bill and be prepared to offer counterpoints.

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• Be sure to ask the Member to become a co-sponsor by contacting Cate Liu in Rep. Smith’s office.

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• Email is the best way to initiate contact with staffers. Try and be detailed but concise in your email. Offer a short meeting if they have any questions.

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VGPRA Fact Sheet is available for download or sharing

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Thanks for your consideration!

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Please feel free to reach out with any questions, thoughts, or suggestions.

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Josh Osher

Public Policy Director

Western Watersheds Project

josh@westernwatersheds.org

406-830-3099

http://westernwatershedsproject.org

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