[House Report 119-433]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Rept.119-433
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2nd Session } { Part 1
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GRAZING FOR WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION ACT
_______
January 8, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Westerman, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
together with
ADDITIONAL VIEWS
[To accompany H.R. 1110]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1110) to require the Secretary of Agriculture to
develop and implement a strategy to increase opportunities to
utilize livestock grazing as a means of wildfire risk
reduction, having considered the same, reports favorably
thereon with amendments and recommends that the bill as amended
do pass.
The amendments are as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Grazing for Wildfire Risk Reduction
Act''.
SEC. 2. UTILIZING GRAZING FOR WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION.
(a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in coordination with
holders of permits to graze livestock on Federal land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned and in consultation with other
relevant stakeholders, shall develop and implement a strategy to
utilize livestock grazing as wildfire risk reduction tool consistent
with the laws applicable to the Secretary concerned. The strategy shall
include--
(1) the completion of reviews (as required under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)) to
allow permitted grazing on vacant grazing allotments during
instances of drought, wildfire or other natural disasters that
disrupt grazing on allotments already permitted;
(2) the use of targeted grazing to reduce hazardous fuels;
(3) an increased use of temporary permits to promote targeted
fuels reduction and reduction of invasive annual grasses;
(4) an increased use of grazing--
(A) to eradicate invasive annual grasses; or
(B) as a postfire recovery and restoration strategy,
where appropriate;
(5) an integrated use of advanced technologies to dynamically
adjust livestock placement;
(6) an increased use of any authorities applicable to
livestock grazing, including modifications to grazing permits
or leases to allow variances;
(7) the utilization of grazing on Federal land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned in a manner that avoids
conflicts with other uses of such Federal land and is
consistent with any applicable land management plan; and
(8) the use of any other means determined to be appropriate
by the Secretary concerned.
(b) Effect on Existing Grazing Programs.--Nothing in this section
shall be construed to affect any livestock grazing program being
carried out as of the date of enactment of this Act by the Secretary
concerned.
(c) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) National forest system.--The term ``National Forest
System'' has the meaning given the term in section 11(a) of the
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974
(16 U.S.C. 1609).
(2) Public lands.--The term ``public lands'' has the meaning
given that term in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702), except that the term
includes Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands and Oregon and
California Railroad Grant lands.
(3) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to
National Forest System lands; and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to
public lands.
Amend the title so as to read:
A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of the Interior to develop and implement a strategy
to utilize livestock grazing as a means of wildfire risk
reduction.
Purpose of the Legislation
The purpose of H.R. 1110, as ordered reported, is to
require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the
Interior to develop and implement a strategy to utilize
livestock grazing as a means of wildfire risk reduction.
Background and Need for Legislation
Grazing on public lands provides important conservation,
ecosystemic, and economic benefits to the American people and
federal land management agencies, alike. This is especially
true in the Western states, where roughly half the land is
federally owned.\1\ The majority of grazing on federal land
occurs on parcels managed by either the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) or the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Both
agencies operate under multiple-use and sustained-yield
mandates which explicitly acknowledge livestock grazing as an
approved activity.\2\ BLM administers roughly 18,000 grazing
permits and leases on nearly 155 million acres of public land
in almost 22,000 grazing allotments.\3\ Similarly, more than 95
million of the total 193 million acres managed by USFS are
available for grazing, and nearly 6,000 permits for livestock
and horses cover USFS land.\4\ In total, roughly 92 percent of
the available grazing land managed by these agencies is
utilized to graze livestock.\5\
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\1\Carol Hardy Vincent, ``Federal Land Ownership: Overview and
Data,'' Congressional Research Service, February 21, 2020, https://
www.crs.gov/Reports/R42346.
\2\Carol Hardy Vincent, ``Federal Lands and Related Resources:
Overview and Selected Issues for the 118th Congress,'' Congressional
Research Service, February 24, 2023, https://www.crs.gov/Reports/
R43429.
\3\FY 2025 Bureau of Land Management Greenbook, U.S. Department of
the Interior, accessed November 11, 2024, https://www.doi.gov/media/
document/fy-2025-bureau-land-management-greenbook.
\4\Carol Hardy Vincent, ``Grazing Fees: Overview and Issues,''
Congressional Research Service, March 4, 2019, https://crs.gov/Reports/
RS21232. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Justification, United States
Department of Agriculture Forest Service, accessed November 12, 2024,
https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs-fy25-congressional-
budget-justification.pdf.
\5\Anna T. Maher et al., ``An economic valuation of federal and
private grazing land ecosystem services supported by beef cattle
ranching in the United States,'' https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txab054.
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Science continues to demonstrate that grazing is not only
compatible with rangeland management but also is vital to
rangeland health. Livestock grazing can modify the range to
make it more fire resilient and the presence of livestock on
federal land decreases fire probability and severity.\6\ In
2024, for example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released
a study showing livestock grazing can limit both wildfire risk
and invasive annual grasses.\7\ USFS consistently recognizes
grazing as an effective tool for wildfire management and has
listed grazing as a key aspect of the agency's Wildfire Crisis
Strategy.\8\ Targeted grazing is a proven method of reducing
hazardous fuels and decreasing the speed and severity with
which wildfire would otherwise rip through our forests and put
vulnerable communities at risk.
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\6\Id.
\7\Kirk W. Davies et al., ``Ecological benefits of strategically
applied livestock grazing in sagebrush communities,'' Ecosphere; May
22, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4859.
\8\Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Justification, United States Department
of Agriculture Forest Service, accessed November 12, 2024, https://
www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs-fy25-congressional-budget-
justification.pdf.
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Federal agencies must be equipped with all available tools
to reduce wildfire risk, improve forest health, and minimize
the vulnerability of communities in the wildland-urban
interface. To ensure this, H.R. 1110 would direct USFS and BLM
to expand the use of proactive, targeted grazing in fuels
management programs to lower wildfire risk. Specifically, the
bill would direct USFS and BLM to coordinate with grazing
permittees to develop wildfire risk-reduction strategies,
including proactive fuels reduction to prevent wildfire and the
use of grazing as a post-fire recovery strategy. A similar
provision was included in the House-passed ``Fix Our Forests
Act.''\9\
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\9\Sec. 117 of H.R. 471; https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-
congress/house-bill/471.
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Committee Action
H.R. 1110 was introduced on February 7, 2025, by
Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA). The bill was referred to
the Committee on Natural Resources. The bill was also referred
to the Committee on Agriculture. On February 12, 2025, the
Committee on Natural Resources met to consider the bill.
Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) offered an Amendment in the
Nature of a Substitute designated LaMalfa ANS. The Amendment in
the Nature of a Substitute was agreed to by unanimous consent.
The bill, as amended, was ordered favorably reported to the
House of Representatives by unanimous consent.
Hearings
For the purposes of clause 3(c)(6) of House rule XIII, the
following hearing was used to develop or consider this measure:
hearing in the 118th Congress by the Subcommittee on Federal
Lands held on November 19, 2024.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 names the bill the ``Grazing for Wildfire Risk
Reduction Act.''
Section 2. Utilizing grazing for wildfire risk reduction
Section 2 directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the
Interior to develop and implement a strategy to utilize
livestock grazing as wildfire risk reduction tool, in
consultation with grazing permittees. Such strategy will
include: 1) timely completion of environmental reviews to allow
permitted grazing, specifically during instances of drought,
wildfire or other natural disasters; 2) the increased use of
targeted grazing; 3) increased use of temporary permits to
target fuels reduction and invasive grasses; 4) the utilization
of grazing to target invasive species and post-fire recovery;
5) integrated use of technology to adjust livestock placement;
6) increased use of authorities applicable to grazing; 7)
utilization of grazing in a manner that avoids conflicts with
other uses; and 8) use of grazing in other appropriate ways as
determined by the Secretary concerned. Section 2 clarifies that
nothing in the section should affect any current livestock
grazing programs.
Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
Compliance With House Rule XIII and Congressional
Budget Act
1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act.
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of House rule XIII and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and pursuant to
clause 3(c)(3) of House rule XIII and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has requested
but not received from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office a budgetary analysis and a cost estimate of this bill.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill, as ordered reported, is to require the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to
develop and implement a strategy to utilize livestock grazing
as a means of wildfire risk reduction.
Earmark Statement
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Statement
An estimate of federal mandates prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act was not made available to the
Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chair of
the Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the
Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee, if such
estimate is not publicly available on the Congressional Budget
Office website.
Existing Programs
Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any
directed rule makings.
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
Applicability to Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
Changes in Existing Law
As ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources,
H.R. 1110 would make no changes in existing law.
ADDITIONAL VIEWS
H.R. 1110, as introduced, would direct the U.S. Forest
Service (USFS) to develop a strategy to utilize livestock
grazing as a wildfire mitigation strategy on all federal land.
Specifically, USFS would be directed to complete relevant
environmental reviews pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act and prioritize the authorization of grazing on
vacant allotments when grazing on permitted lots is disrupted
by drought, wildfire, or other natural disasters. The strategy
will also emphasize the use of grazing for fuels reduction and
invasive annual grasses by implementing targeted grazing,
increasing the use of temporary grazing permits, and using
grazing as a postfire recovery and restoration tool.
At markup, the Committee adopted an amendment filed by
Representative LaMalfa that expands the bill to include the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The amendment also
incorporates language to ensure all activity is consistent with
all applicable laws, in compliance with any applicable land
management plan, and avoids conflicts with other uses of
federal land.
These are welcome improvements, and I am encouraged by the
majority's willingness to incorporate feedback provided by
Committee Democrats.
However, the bill could use additional guardrails to
safeguard sensitive landscapes and protected public lands
including wilderness areas and national conservation lands.
Overgrazing and improper grazing practices can adversely harm
public lands; this is especially true in post-fire landscape.
In fact, although there was not a hearing on this bill in the
119th Congress, the BLM proposed requiring a temporary post-
fire rest period from grazing before incorporating livestock
grazing into a fire recovery strategy.\1\ This is an important
consideration that should be incorporated into the bill going
forward.
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\1\The Department of the Interior, Statement of Nada Wolff Culver,
Principal Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management before the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on S. 2867, (Oct. 2023).
Available online at: https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/
B18178D4-3BE1-4953-09A04F-17BE65F1BCFE.
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Managing wildfire risk and promoting climate resilience
across large landscapes requires a comprehensive approach. This
may include grazing where appropriate but should also include
science-based management that emphasizes ecological health and
habitat integrity.
Jared Huffman,
Ranking Member.
[all]