Forest Service Responds to Cattlemen Request for NEPA Reform

Forest Service Handbook Contains New Guidance

A new guidance document released today by the U.S. Forest Service contains a number of significant reforms relating to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Cattlemen have historically requested reforming the NEPA process and urged the agency to dedicate more resources to resource management rather than compliance with process requirements.

“This is great news for public lands ranchers who have struggled with the traditional NEPA process,” says Jeff Eisenberg, Public Lands Council (PLC) executive director and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) director of federal lands.

In a letter sent to USDA Director of Forest and Rangelands Jeanette Kaiser, cattlemen expressed their support for the NEPA reform measures released today as part of Chapter 90 of the Forest Service handbook for the range program.

Some of the key reforms include:

---NEPA compliance is dependent on resource status on allotments rather than to artificial deadlines imposed through regulatory requirements. NEPA for allotments will be renewed when new resource information requires new analysis.

---Allotment management will be dependent on meeting resource goals rather than artificial regulatory requirements. Within limits, permittee/agency disputes about on-and-off dates and cattle numbers will be minimized. Substantive rangeland health will be prioritized.

---NEPA analysis may be performed on more than one allotment when multiple allotments, such as those in a watershed, make a coherent ecological unit.

---The handbook guidance requires Forest Service staff to work with permittees in developing the proposed action for grazing activities. Greater cooperation between permittees and agency staff will strengthen stewardship of the resources.

“Management of the resources at the ground level, rather than compliance with unproductive paperwork procedures will yield better results for the land, and our members who graze cattle on the land,” says Eisenberg. ”For these reasons, we congratulate the agency on issuance of the new handbook guidance and look forward to its adoption by the Forest Service throughout the West.”

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Jeff .Eisenberg
Dir. Federal Lands, Executive Dir. PLC, Corp Council CATL Fund
jeisenberg@beef.org

Stacey .Katseanes
Manager, Public Lands Council
skatseanes@beef.org