LUBBOCK, TX – The Interior Department is directing federal land agencies to expand livestock grazing opportunities while accelerating permit renewals and reducing the backlog facing ranchers who depend on public lands.
Under Secretarial Order 3454, agencies must identify vacant allotments and other lands that could support long-term, emergency or temporary grazing. Interior also wants a department-wide map showing available grazing lands and application information.
The Bureau of Land Management must establish clearer application procedures for vacant allotments and prioritize qualified applicants. Where forage and legal requirements allow, ranchers could receive full 10-year permits instead of short-term authorizations.
Interior also ordered BLM to develop a plan for eliminating the grazing permit renewal backlog. The department says technology, including Super Intelligence, its term for artificial intelligence, may be used to help prepare renewal documentation.
Agencies face deadlines ranging from 30 to 150 days for initial land reviews, permitting plans and mapping. Final permit decisions will remain with authorized federal officials.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Ranchers using federal lands could see more grazing opportunities and faster permit processing if Interior meets the order’s implementation deadlines.