Gianforte Asks Court to Reverse Injunction Allowing American Prairie Bison On Federal Grazing Allotments

Gov. Greg Gianforte on Monday, Nov. 2, announced the State of Montana has filed its opening brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, asking the court to reverse a district court’s preliminary injunction that allows American Prairie Foundation to keep its bison on three federal grazing allotments in Phillips County.

“The district court fundamentally misunderstood what Congress authorized in the Taylor Grazing Act,” Gov. Gianforte said. “The Bureau of Land Management made the correct and lawful decision to cancel these permits. Our administration will continue advocating for the generations of Montanans who have stewarded our lands with care.”

The preliminary injunction blocked, in part, the Bureau of Land Management’s May 2026 final decision, which canceled APF’s bison grazing authorizations and reissued cattle-only permits. The injunction allows bison to remain on the Box Elder, Telegraph and Whiterock Coulee allotments.

The State’s brief argues that the law does not authorize these permits.