Sponsors (3)
Introduced October 17, 2025 by Adam Smith · Last progress October 17, 2025
The bill creates a voluntary, defined path to permanently retire grazing on many public‑land allotments—favoring ecological recovery and clearer agency administration at the cost of lost grazing income, potential forfeiture of private investments, program caps and geographic limits that can produce uneven economic and legal impacts.
Ranchers and permittees can permanently and voluntarily end grazing on allotments, giving them a clear, lower‑burden exit option and reducing ongoing leasing/administrative obligations.
Public lands in the 16 listed Western States and adjacent communities will see retired allotments recover (less vegetation damage and trespass), improving conservation and ecosystem outcomes.
Federal and state land managers and permittees get clearer definitions and processes (including what constitutes an administratively retired allotment and exclusions for pack animals), reducing administrative ambiguity and likely lowering management conflicts and workload over time.
Ranchers, grazing‑dependent small businesses, and rural communities risk significant lost income and reduced local economic activity if grazing is permanently removed on many allotments.
Limited scope and program caps (16 specified Western States; 100 waivers per year; 25 per state) plus potential geographic clustering of retirements could create uneven, inequitable outcomes and multi‑year delays for permittees seeking to exit grazing.
Permittees who waive permits risk forfeiting investments in range improvements (fences, springs, water systems) without compensation, imposing direct financial losses on owners.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Allows voluntary permanent retirement of federal grazing permits/leases on Federal lands in 16 Western States, with annual caps and requirements to end grazing and bar future permits.
Allows ranchers (permittees or lessees) to permanently give up federal grazing permits or leases on Federal lands in 16 Western States through voluntary waivers. When accepted, the agency must end grazing on those allotments, bar new permits, and secure retired allotments against trespass, subject to annual limits on the number of waivers the agencies may accept. The law defines key terms, sets a first-come/first-served process with numeric caps (100 waivers total per year, and no more than 25 per State per year), clarifies that waivers include relinquishing claims to range developments, and preserves existing water rights and other valid existing rights held at enactment.