Interior seeks input on modernizing grazing regs

WLJ Jun. 12, 2026 1 minute read 6 comments

Interior seeks input on modernizing grazing regs — Pictured here, cattle grazing on rangeland near Jordan Valley, OR.
USDA/Kirsten Strough

The Department of the Interior continues to seek public input on a proposal to update livestock grazing management on public lands.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mid-May proposal to revise regulations would give ranchers more flexibility, improve rangeland health and support rural communities, the Interior said. The rule proposes streamlining grazing administration and expanding rangeland health standards.

Comments on the rule are due by July 13 and can be submitted at tinyurl.com/3pr7u3fe. Earlier in May, BLM also rescinded the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, also known as the Public Lands Rule, which went into effect June 11.

BLM said the action restores balance to federal management under multiple use and sustained yield.

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6 Comments

Ron Christenhusz
June 19, 2026
Can’t say a bad thing about ranchers on public land. Been roaming those lands for 40 years and seen what ranchers do that benefits wild life and the environment. Active management by people that intimately know that land is the best approach.
Reply to Ron Christenhusz
Tracey Vivar
June 22, 2026
Not sure what updating is proposed, but I'm firmly opposed to the current practice of removing wild horses from the land. Wild horses do not tear up & destroy the land as cattle do. They thrive in their native habitat & are beneficial to the natural landscape. Cattle need to be managed, not wild horses. If ranchers cannot prosper on their own property, then perhaps they're in the wrong business.
Reply to Tracey Vivar
1. Terri
  June 23, 2026
  You either are a just veg eater which I see no problem in that but how do you think that cows hurt the land really I want to know I agree about they horses but lets hear how the cows hurt the land they eat vegs also only vegs so tell me how they hurt our land
  Reply to Terri
Jeryl Good
June 22, 2026
As long as the wild horses are protected! I’ve seen the power rancher wield in having horses removed, even to the extent of zeroing entire herds out of areas so cattle can have more forage. There’s a campaign in WY now to zero out some of the best quality HMAs, which should not be done. More horses are now in holding than in the wild and horses are being sold for $25 and heading right to slaughter. We need the SAFE Act to pass and we need BLM and USFS to better manage the herds under their care.
Reply to Jeryl Good
Lance Ready
June 22, 2026
Grazing when done properly is very good for most environments. Some of the ranchers do a great job! However the number of animals allowed and the number of days allowed are too high in many instances. The animals should be forced to more often as they are very harmful to riparian habitats!! When the years are dry the numbers and days need to be lowered more in my opinion. Also some allotments need to be rested and not used every year. I personally lnow of many allotments that the animals are allowed to stay longer than they are legally supposed to. Also the price for using OUR land is absurdly low and simply does not reflect any increases that the rest of is see in our daily lives over the years. The political pull ranchers have literally obliterate the science that goes into taking care of our land for indigenous creatures. The outlook is bleak under the current administration. Please keep working hard for improving our lands. Last idea, knowing we will never stop livestock from grazing on BLM and forest we need to remove a huge portion of the wild horses and burros!!!
Reply to Lance Ready
Dennis Hauser
June 24, 2026
I am an avid outdoorsman and hunter. This is multi-use area and should be managed for all uses. If cattle are grazing pastures, water should be available for wildlife the rest of the year.In my area along the Continental divide, Idaho, Montana. I Some cattleman are running too many cows beyond their allotment. Some of those same ranchers can't find or lose cows and don't retrieve them literally for 2 months. There should be stiffer or stronger penalties.Our public lands should not be just cattle grazing.
Reply to Dennis Hauser