The U.S. federal government is revising regulations governing livestock grazing on public lands, aiming to increase the number of cattle, sheep, and other animals grazing across 155 million acres in the Western United States—an area twice the size of New Mexico. This marks the first major update to grazing rules since 1995, led by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Public lands grazing currently operates under a system nearly a century old, which heavily subsidizes some of the wealthiest Americans while inadequately addressing environmental harms, according to investigations by ProPublica and High Country News.

The proposed overhaul would expand grazing practices, reversing regulations that originated from the early 1990s "cattle free by ’93" movement, which sought to remove livestock from public lands. A spokesperson named Canterbury explained that the existing rules limited ranchers’ ability to utilize scientific and management advances developed over the past 35 years.

However, the changes have sparked criticism. Josh Osher, public policy director of the Western Watersheds Project, warned, “We can expect considerably more places where cows and sheep are going to be and more damage. I think we see big impacts on wildlife.”

Representatives of Native American tribes and conservation groups have expressed concern over the lack of opportunity to provide input on the draft regulations before their release. OJ Semans Sr., a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and executive director of the Coalition of Large Tribes representing over 15 tribes, said, “We’re really concerned about this. I’m just kind of confused about how badly it was written.”

Mark Squillace, a natural resources law professor at the University of Colorado Law School, highlighted a procedural flaw: if a rancher appeals an unfavorable ruling, the ruling is automatically paused, allowing harmful practices to continue. He described this as inviting widespread appeals to avoid decisions, calling it “a setback.”

The proposed regulatory changes have raised significant debate about balancing ranching interests with environmental protection and tribal rights on public lands.

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