Legislation to help ranchers
February 7, 2014
By Representative Raul Labrador

On Thursday, the House passed legislation, H.R. 2954, that includes a bill and an amendment that I introduced to aid Idaho’s agriculture community.

The bill that I introduced, the Grazing Improvement Act, would provide relief to Idaho’s ranchers and ranchers throughout the country. Specifically, it would extend Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service livestock grazing permits from 10 years to 20 years to give producers adequate longevity and production stability.

This is a very important issue because the financial security of ranchers depends upon their responsible stewardship of the land. Unfortunately, the permit review process - which allows them to produce food - has become severely backlogged. That’s where my bill comes in. It will allow our ranchers to cut through red tape faster and make our economy stronger.

The amendment that I introduced – which passed as part of H.R. 2954 – undertakes another common-sense reform that will benefit Idaho. It requires groups that are not substantially justified or directly affected by final federal grazing decisions to pay for the legal expenses of the other party when they lose in court. This “loser pays” system is a much-needed reform to discourage frivolous lawsuits by environmental groups.

These groups have grown increasingly effective at abusing the appeals process - not to promote environmental health, which is what they claim to do, but to remove livestock from federal lands.

Each year, hundreds of appeals are filed on grazing decisions by environmental groups. While the cost to ranchers can hardly be measured, in a recent case in Wyoming, for example, appealing the decision cost a small group of ranchers over $125,000 in administrative appeal and attorney fees alone. What my amendment did is tackle this problem by clarifying the intent of Congress on who may appeal and litigate a final agency decision. It will ease the burden environmentalists have placed on our ranchers, and not a moment too soon.

To watch my floor speech advocating for the Grazing Improvement Act, please click here. And if you want to watch my floor speech advocating for my amendment, you can find it here.

Idaho produces some of the world’s finest lamb and beef. And livestock grazing is an important part of the rich ranching tradition in America. I am proud to fight for Idaho’s ag community, especially when those traditions are under attack. I will keep fighting so that we can preserve our heritage for generations to come.