Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) recently introduced the Ranching Without Red Tape Act to streamline the permitting process for ranchers on federal lands.
Currently, ranchers who hold a grazing permit on grazing federal lands must renegotiate their permit to make range improvements not outlined in their original agreement, which can often lead to a lengthy process.
“By removing this restriction on ranchers, this legislation would allow our nation’s producers to continue conducting their operations in a timely manner while still protecting our lands from major, unapproved changes,” a news release read.
The bill would allow permittees to make minor range improvements within a short timeline if approved by the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, or allow improvements if the agencies do not respond within the timeframe.
The bill would also require the agencies to respond to larger improvement requests within an accelerated period, and expedite the process of agencies making improvements by using all administrative tools, including categorical exclusions.
