June 7, 2024 2:50 a.m.

Senators Ron Wyden and Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso have introduced bipartisan legislation that would support ranchers who rely on federal lands in Oregon and nationwide to graze their livestock.

Wyden said, “After embracing the Bureau of Land Management pilot program, ranchers in eastern Oregon worked closely with me to include updated flexibility in my community-crafted Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act to bring certainty, conservation and economic opportunity to the forefront of Malheur County’s future”. Wyden said, “Today I’m pleased to work with Senator Barrasso to build on the work of Oregon ranchers to give the rest of the West tools to adapt in real time to the changing conditions and seasonal variations in weather brought on by the climate crisis as they manage grazing on rangelands”. Wyden said these authorities will recognize the ranchers who choose to use them as active participants in improving the ecological health of public lands.

A release said the Operational Flexibility Grazing Management Program Act would improve the management of grazing on federal lands by allowing livestock operators more flexibility to adapt and respond to emergencies, such as drought or wildfires.

The full text of the legislation is linked: https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/3DDABD02-CA47-4B33-A3DE-EBA36C428363