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Show In 1934, with the passage of the Taylor Grazing Act,2 much the same system of control was adopted for the remaining unappropriated public domain lands which are now administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The range livestock industry at that time was facing disaster because of the combination of the Depression, the results of uncontrolled use of the public range, and the deterioration of the range and the industry caused by severe weather conditions. In instituting a system for allotting grazing permits similar to that used on the national forests, the Taylor Act favored use of the public range by established ranch operations rather than by itinerant operators. Some of the lands administered by Federal agencies other than the Forest Service and BLM are also grazed by domestic livestock when compatible with their basic missions. Both the Forest Service and BLM administer lands acquired for Land Utilization Projects in the 193O's-mostly in the Dakotas, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Although used primarily for grazing, they are not under the same policy structure that applies to the other grazing lands, but the differences are not important for our purposes. Role of the Retained Public Lands Recommendation 37: Public land forage policies should be flexible, designed to attain maximum economic efficiency in the production and use of forage from the public land, and to support regional economic growth. As one of its purposes, forage resource management on the public lands retained in Federal ownership has been designed to stabilize the livestock industry. Preference for grazing permits issued under the Taylor Grazing Act was given to landowners who were engaged in the livestock business, or to owners of water rights using the public lands prior to 1934. Those holding original permits, or those who succeed them, are given preference for the renewal of permits. In this way the pattern of livestock ranching, which was dependent upon public land grazing when the Act was passed, has been held constant. Base property and commensurability requirements of the Forest Service have had much the same effect as the policies adopted under the Taylor Act.3 Forest Service policies have resulted broadly in 2 43 U.S.C. § 315 et seq. (1964). 3 The capacity of the permittee's base property (the non-Federal land owned or controlled by the permittee) to support the permitted livestock during the period such livestock are off public land. For a discussion of these requirements, see University of Idaho, The Forage Resource, Ch. II. PLLRC Study Report, 1969. 106 the continuation of ranching patterns that existed at the time permits for grazing in national forests were first issued in 1905. Under the existing system, consolidation and expansion of ranching operations through the accumulation of public land can only be effected by the accumulation of unused base properties or acquisition of existing base property. A more flexible policy, which would allow grazing privileges to be fully transferable upon request of the permittee, would result in transfer of privileges to those who are able to make more efficient use of them. Under such a policy the Government would remain neutral, and the market would control the allocation of public land forage. The Commission supports a policy which, while taking into consideration existing users, will provide flexibility in the future allocation of grazing privileges and equity for all users. Public land forage policies are important to the regional economy. Income resulting from increases in the production and use of public land forage tends to spread through the regional economy rather than be siphoned off for the purchase of goods and services from other regions.4 A policy which provides generally for the efficient use of forage resources will, therefore, be in support of regional economic growth. Such regional economic growth is a proper objective of public land forage policy and is a basis for many of the recommendations which follow. Protection and Conservation of Range Lands Recommendation 38: The grazing of domestic livestock on the public lands should be consistent with the productivity of those lands. The Taylor Grazing Act and the control of grazing on the national forests were directed at the conservation of natural resources as well as at the stabilization of the western livestock industry. There are still substantial areas of land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and some managed by the Forest Service that are in a deteriorated condition. The deterioration of such areas is not easily abated. Some lands respond to positive rehabilitation efforts. Others, however, have less productive soil and receive less precipitation. On these a delicate eco- 1 Consulting Services Corporation, Impact of Public Lands on Selected Regional Economies. PLLRC Study Report, 1970. A dollar increase in output of the range livestock industry will typically have a greater effect on the regional economy than a dollar increase in most manufacturing activities, for example. |