Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act

Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act would establish a new, locally driven grazing management program on Federal land in Malheur County, Oregon, designed to increase operational flexibility for authorized grazing permittees and lessees with the aim of improving long-term ecological health. The bill also creates the Malheur County Environmental-Ownership (C.E.O.) Group—a diverse 18-member body representing private interests, tribes, environmental organizations, state and federal agencies, and local governments—to propose and review eligible projects related to ecological restoration, habitat improvement, invasive-species control, water infrastructure, and related research. In addition, the bill designates roughly 1.1 million acres of Malheur County land as wilderness, setting new wilderness management rules. It also provides for the transfer of certain lands to the Burns Paiute Tribe (and related stewardship areas) and authorizes a significant but time-limited funding package to support these activities, subject to consensus by the Malheur C.E.O. Group and approval by the relevant federal agencies. The package envisions ongoing monitoring, data-driven adjustments to grazing using flexible tools (seasonal timing, water placement, pasture rotation), and annual reporting to gauge progress toward ecological health goals. It also preserves existing grazing rights and allows for continued grazing within designated wilderness areas under specific guidelines. The combination of habitat/land health objectives, tribal land trust considerations, and wilderness designations represents a substantial shift in local land and resource governance, with a distinct emphasis on collaborative decision-making and community involvement.