Win For Montana’s Ranchers; BLM Cancels Bison Grazing Permits
On Friday, the U.S. Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management dropped a landmark decision regarding BLM’s Final Decision to allow bison grazing on seven allotments in Phillips County. DOI and BLM released a Notice of Proposed Decision to rescind the 2022 Final Decision and cancelled all associated allotments, a win for public lands ranching in Montana.
Montana Stockgrowers along with North and South Phillips County Grazing Districts have long fought for the decision to be appealed due to the lack of process followed for this decision and the very clear violation of the Taylor Grazing Act (TGA) in which bison are not a preferred species.
“MSGA is thrilled to see this decision by the BLM to restore grazing allotments back to their intended usage for production livestock grazing, affirming what ranchers have been saying since the beginning of this process,” Lesley Robinson, MSGA president, said. “MSGA is proud to defend sound, lawful land management. This decision is an incredible win for public lands grazers, ranching families, and rural communities across the west.”
The Notice of Proposed Decision rescinds BLM’s 2022 Final Decision on bison grazing and cancels the associated permits authorizing bison grazing. In the notice, BLM notes that American Prairie’s bison herd is managed as wildlife in a way that is not meant for production according to the meaning of the term domestic livestock. Further, BLM notes its lack of statutory authority under the TGA to authorize grazing by bison. BLM cancelled all grazing permits for bison and reissued cattle-only permits on allotments where bison or a combination of cattle and/ or bison were previously authorized.
