S. 2787: Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025

This bill ensures that ranchers who hold grazing agreements on national grasslands are subject to the same rules, terms, and legal protections as grazing permit holders on other federal lands, such as national forests.

Summary The "Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025" (S. 2787) is designed to standardize the administration of livestock grazing on federal lands. Under current law, grazing on national grasslands—which are managed by the U.S. Forest Service—is sometimes governed under different administrative frameworks than grazing in national forests. This bill amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) to substitute the term "lands within National Forests" with the broader definition of "National Forest System" lands. This technical change explicitly extends FLPMA's grazing lease and permit regulations to national grasslands.

Key Provisions

• Expansion of Grazing Permit Eligibility (Section 2(a)): Amends Section 402(a) of FLPMA to apply its grazing lease and permit terms to all "National Forest System" lands (incorporating the definition from the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974), which includes national grasslands.
• Savings Clauses (Section 2(b)): Clarifies that this amendment does not alter or affect:
  • Any other section of FLPMA aside from the grazing provisions in Section 402.
  • Title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, which governs the acquisition and protective management of national grasslands.
  • Section 11 of the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978, which relates to grazing fees and range improvements.

Impact Analysis

• Regulatory Consistency for Ranchers: Currently, ranchers operating on national grasslands may face different administrative guidelines than those on adjacent national forest lands. By bringing national grasslands under FLPMA Section 402, the bill provides these ranchers with the same standard ten-year permit terms, renewal preferences, and procedural protections enjoyed by other federal grazing permittees.
• Administrative Standardization: For the U.S. Forest Service, this legislation simplifies management by unifying the regulatory standards used to administer grazing agreements across different categories of federal land under its jurisdiction.
• Preservation of Existing Conservation Laws: The inclusion of explicit savings clauses ensures that the fundamental conservation and land-use principles established under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act and the Public Rangelands Improvement Act remain intact and unaffected by this administrative adjustment.