Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act
The Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act would add a new provision to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) to allow temporary use of vacant grazing allotments by holders of grazing permits or leases during extreme natural events and disasters. When one or more allotments under a permit/lease are temporarily unusable due to events such as severe drought, wildfires, pests, or blight, the relevant agency (the Secretary of Agriculture for National Forest System land or the Secretary of the Interior for public lands) could temporarily assign a vacant allotment to the permit/lease holder, subject to certain terms, conditions, and coordination. The aim is to improve ranching resilience and support conservation health by enabling continued ranching activity and facilitating appropriate, ecologically informed temporary use during emergencies, without altering the holder’s long-term rights or existing permits. Key features include agency coordination across jurisdictional boundaries, consideration of ecological and prior management agreements, allowance for temporary improvements (like portable fences or water infrastructure), and a structured process for guidelines, eligibility, duration, and periodic land-health evaluations. A year after enactment, the Secretaries must issue guidelines to implement this temporary-use program, and they must periodically assess the land health of vacant allotments to support efficient implementation.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a new Section 405 in FLPMA to make vacant grazing allotments available for temporary use by current grazing permit or lease holders during extreme natural events and disasters, when other allotments are unusable and a vacant allotment is appropriate.
- 2Defines “Secretary concerned” as the Secretary of Agriculture (for National Forest System land) and the Secretary (for public lands), and sets the eligible recipients as holders of grazing permits or leases issued by either Secretary.
- 3Sets terms and conditions for temporary use that (a) base terms on the most recent applicable permit, or, if none exist, (b) consider ecological conditions and adjacent allotments, and (c) may authorize temporary rangeland improvements such as portable corrals, fencing, water infrastructure.
- 4Requires interagency coordination to make vacant allotments available across agencies, ensures temporary use does not preclude other actions, and does not permanently alter original permit terms, the holder’s preference to return, or future authorization metrics like animal unit months.
- 5Mandates guidelines within 1 year of enactment covering suitability criteria, eligibility, proximity prioritization, livestock class considerations, coordination processes with nearby allotments, and procedures to expedite the temporary-use process, along with periodic land-health evaluations of vacant allotments.