Curtis, Newhouse offer bill to rescind proposed anti-grazing rule

The director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would be required to withdraw its proposed rule related to conservation and landscape health under legislation introduced by Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA).

“The BLM’s proposed rule would undermine the livelihoods of Utah’s farmers, ranchers, recreation businesses, and more,” said Rep. Curtis in a release on Tuesday. “In a state that has so much natural beauty to share, this rule attempts to lock up those precious lands that should be open and accessible to the public.”

On May 15. U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) sponsored H.R. 3397 with 13 GOP original cosponsors. Among the Republicans who joined Rep. Newhouse in cosponsoring H.R. 3397 are U.S. Reps. Pete Stauber (R-MN), Blake Moore (R-UT), and Mark Amodei (R-NV). 

“The BLM has time and again shown their aim is to drastically reduce, or even eliminate, grazing on public lands, and this proposed rule is the latest iteration of this effort,” Rep. Newhouse said on Monday. “I am proud to introduce legislation to rescind it.”

The BLM’s proposed rule, entitled “Conservation and Landscape Health,” undermines the multiple-use requirement for BLM lands under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, according to a statement released by Rep. Newhouse’s office.

Additionally, the proposed rule would hinder access to public lands for energy and mineral development, grazing forest management, and recreation, which would have a negative effect on central Washington’s ranchers and residents, the statement says.

“In central Washington, we know locking up lands with preservationist designations does not automatically guarantee healthy landscapes. In fact, the opposite is often the case,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of the land, not bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., who seek to hamper our land managers’ ability to conserve the land they rely on for their livelihoods.”

The Washington Cattlemen’s Association supports H.R. 3397, which has been referred to the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee for consideration.