Legislation to help ranchers
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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. |
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