A grazing provision, sage grouse and conflict (NDAA)

It's the kind of political firefight than can flare in the waning days of a congressional session, as members try to attach favorite legislation to bills that must pass before Congress can head home for Christmas. Language to help ranchers protect their grazing privileges - which some environmentalists say could put the sage grouse on the Endangered Species List - got added to an 11th-hour defense bill, prompting a war of words this week. But the officials at the Department of Interior in charge of both grazing and sage grouse protections said Friday that the proposal by Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, would not have the unintended consequence of listing the grouse. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act 300-119 on Thursday. Labrador, R-Idaho, added a provision that would automatically renew grazing permits that ranchers hold on public lands. The provision would restore a policy in place since the 1990s that was struck down this year by an Idaho federal judge, who said grazing leases needed more environmental review. Labrador, who actually voted against the bill, says the automatic renewal protects ranchers who might lose their grazing rights waiting for bureaucrats to perform the reviews. His language was passed by the House as a stand-alone bill earlier this year. But the provision caught the eye of some environmentalists. Todd Tucci, an attorney with the Boise-based Advocates for the West and other conservation groups, said Thursday that the bill could lead to the listing of sage grouse - either by the Department of Interior or a federal judge - because the BLM's lack of money could mean grazing permits would not get the conservation measures needed to protect sage grouse until funds come years later...more