Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025
Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025 would revise the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to treat grazing on national grasslands the same as grazing on other Federal lands. Specifically, it changes the reference in the grazing lease/permit provision from “lands within National Forests” to “National Forest System land,” thereby including national grasslands under the same eligibility rules for grazing leases and permits that apply to other National Forest System lands. The intent is to ensure ranchers with grazing agreements on national grasslands are not disadvantaged compared to permittees on other Federal lands. The bill does not alter other laws governing national grasslands, nor does it provide funding or new environmental processes.
Key Points
- 1Replaces the phrase “lands within National Forests” with “National Forest System land” in FLPMA Section 402(a), broadening the eligible land base to include National Grasslands.
- 2The amendment is limited in scope: it does not change the applicability of FLPMA to national grasslands for provisions other than Section 402, nor does it modify the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act or the Public Rangelands Improvement Act.
- 3The bill aims to align grazing treatment on national grasslands with that on other Federal lands, making grazing agreements on grasslands subject to the same leasing/permit framework.
- 4It preserves existing law outside Section 402, meaning current rules under the Bankhead-Jones Act and the Public Rangelands Improvement Act remain unchanged.
- 5No funding is authorized or appropriated by the bill; it is a definitional/administrative change intended to affect eligibility and administration of grazing leases and permits.