*Special Alert! Oppose the “Grazing Improvement Act” [View all]

[2naSalit]

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will be considering a bill this week that will have a devastating impact on western public lands, native wildlife and especially wild buffalo.

The “Grazing Improvement Act,” S. 258, is a nightmare for wild buffalo. As many of you already know, one of the primary reasons wild buffalo aren’t allowed to migrate beyond Yellowstone’s borders is that much of the National Forest land is leased to private ranchers to graze cattle. The ranchers simply don’t want competition for the grass on our federal public lands. Wild buffalo have a natural right to migrate and graze, but the welfare ranchers stand in the way. Now, with the so-called “Grazing Improvement Act” they want to keep the public from even being involved in the decisions about how our public lands are managed and to exempt those decisions from environmental review as currently required under the National Environmental Policy Act. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the bill would also extend grazing permits from 10 years to 20 years!

TAKE ACTION: CALL SENATOR WYDEN TODAY! The Committee will hold a business meeting to consider this legislation first thing Thursday morning. Please take the time right now to contact the Committee Chair, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, and tell him not to support this destructive bill. Public lands ranchers already have a sweetheart deal. They certainly don’t need more special treatment. WITHIN OREGON: Call Senator Wyden at [phone] in Washington, DC, or [phone] in Portland Oregon. Phone calls are going to have more of an impact, but Oregon residents may also choose to use this email form. OUTSIDE of OREGON: Call Senator Wyden at [phone] in Washington, DC, or [phone] in Portland Oregon. And if your Senator is on the Committee, please also let him/her know that the public has a right to be involved in how our public lands are managed.

More Helpful Points to Raise: The “Grazing Improvement Act” is a huge giveaway to the livestock industry coming at a time when many of our western public lands are in dire condition. With the impacts of climate change becoming more apparent every year, the situation is only going to worsen at the expense of native wildlife, clean water, and healthy ecosystems. The last thing we need is to further entrench one of the most destructive activities taking place on our public lands.

Edited to add links:
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/11/18/special-alert-oppose-the-grazing-improvement-act/

http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ymXTrUFZS1T%2F2vdbIfUUdD4E%2BDfkMVuo

I think that eliminating the public's input is now the trend and it's a bad one...