Society for Range Management Comments on Finalization of USDA’s NEPA Rule

“On behalf of the Society for Range Management (SRM), I want to acknowledge the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s finalization of its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule as an important milestone for our members who care deeply about the health and productivity of America’s rangelands. 

Our members work at the point where policy meets the ground and every step before. They see firsthand how timely, science-based decisions can reduce wildfire risk, sustain rural livelihoods, conserve biodiversity, and maintain the long-term resilience of working landscapes. Any change to NEPA implementation that affects how quickly and effectively conservation, vegetation management, and grazing-related projects move forward is therefore of direct concern to SRM. SRM appreciates the opportunity to streamline NEPA and make it simpler for stewards, producers, and managers of the land to care for it in ways that are grounded in sound science. 

SRM appreciates USDA’s stated intent to modernize and streamline environmental review while maintaining NEPA’s core environmental safeguards. SRM has long advocated for policies that both respect the rigor and intent of NEPA and enable land managers to respond quickly to emerging threats like catastrophic wildfire, prolonged drought, invasive annual grasses, and habitat loss. SRM will carefully review USDA’s final rule and its implementation guidance to understand how these changes will affect rangeland management across the country, and we are prepared to offer technical input where our expertise can be helpful. 

As this rule is implemented, SRM will continue to: 

·      Provide science-based guidance on rangeland ecology and management to agencies and partners. 

·      Support collaborative approaches that unite agricultural producers, conservation organizations, Tribes, and local communities. 

·      Advocate for policies that keep working rangelands healthy, productive, and resilient for current and future generations. 

SRM is committed to working constructively with USDA and all stakeholders to ensure that NEPA processes both protect our natural resources and enable the timely, proactive, science-based management that healthy rangelands require.” 

-SRM President John Walker