OCR Text |
Show The Park Record D Section A Thursday, August 19, 1993 Page A5 With Clinton's sweeping The Clinton Administration has announced sweeping reforms in the Federal government's policy for grazing on public lands, making clear its intentions to bring Federal grazing fees closer to market value and announcing measures aimed at improving the long-term health of America's rangelands. . "This proposal delivers on President Clinton's promise that taxpayers will be treated fairly when it comes to the use of their natural resources," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. "But our plan also recognizes that the public lands grazing issue is more about the condition of the land than it is about fees." "We've found a reasonable balance," said Secretary Babbitt, "between the need to sustain the health of rangeland ecosystems and the need to sustain the economic health of rural Western areas." The announcement came in the form of draft proposals for rangeland reform, concurrently published by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Farm Bureau A proposed increase in grazing fees announced last week by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will eliminate many public lands ranchers in Utah, and place enormous hardship on the rural economy of the state, according to the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. UFB President Ken Ashby, Delta, said Secretary Babbitt has proposed increasing the fee by almost two-and-a-half times, to $4.28 per animal unit month (AUM) by 1996. The current fee charged ranchers to graze cattle and sheep on the public lands is $1.86 per AUM. "For more than a year, the ranching community has worked with respected economists and others to develop a new fee proposal that would charge ranchers for the actual value of the forage consumed by livestock on public land," Ashby explained. "That new formula was recently introduced in Congress by a bipartisan group of Senators." "Our proposed new fee formula will meet the Clinton Administration's goal to raise an additional $35 million per year from grazing fees, while the Babbitt proposal goes far beyond that goal," Ashby said. In a series of hearings held by the Secretary throughout the west earlier this summer, ranchers and agricultural economists repeatedly told Mr. Babbitt that significant increases in grazing fees would wreak economic havoc on livestock producers as well as the rural economies that depend on the public lands grazing industry. A study by New Mexico State University Economist John "I Summer Dinner 5:30-10:00 Daily at EL CHEEiO Southwestern Grill 5 649-0883 255 Main St. j 1 Ci RICKHOVEY RICKHOVEY RICKHOVEY RICKHOVEY RICKHOVEY RICKHOVEY RICKHOVEY &&&&&&&&& OFFICE 649-44nn HOME 649-9526 d A A & A Management and the Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service. The two agencies are responsible for managing more than 260 million acres of federal grazing lands. The Forest Service is deeply committed to conserving and sustaining healthy rangeland ecosystems on National Forests and Grasslands for shared use and multiple values," said Jim Lyons, Agriculture's Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment. "These new rules benefit both the permittees who leased these public lands and the public which owns them." With their proposals, the two departments would replace the existing grazing fee formula. They selected an "appropriate range" of fees, ranging from $3.51 to $5.05 per animal unit month (AUM). The midpoint of this range, $4.28, has been settled on as the basis for the proposal. The current level of federal grazing fees is $1.86 per AUM. (An AUM is the amount of forage needed to sustain a cow and her calf, or five sheep, for one comments on Fowler shows 42 percent of public lands-dependent ranchers will go out of business if significant fee increases are made. A more recent Pepperdine University study by Thomas Dudley shows federal land ranchers have no economic advantage over private land ranchers. "Secretary Babbitt has ignored the testimony heard in his public hearings, as well as these studies, and has proposed a fee level that will sound the death knell for many Utah ranchers," Ashby added. The Farm Bureau leader says Babbitt also proposes to eliminate grating advisory boards as presently constituted, take private water rights away from ranchers on public lands, and take federal possession of any new AN EXCITING NEW CHURCH IN PARK CITY! A new congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America COME SHARE OUR VISION FOR: Warm & Caring People. Dynamic, Contemporary Music. Children's ministry making church an enjoyable experience. Flourishing friendships among singles. Relevant insights from the Bible for heart and mind. Small support groups to help you experience peace, strength and confidence for successful living and marriage. Active program helping today's youth achieve their potential. Drama sketches that help the message come alive. Tliere is a place, for YOU in this new fellowship, no mailer who you are! Sunday evening meetings at C p.m. are now beginning so why not visit and see for yourself. Discover the difference as this is a special church for special people-dike you! Call for information or brochure 649-2662 YOU CAN'T GET MUCH MORE, SO CLOSE . . . families middle school kids high school families views of ski resort bus route 1830 LUCKY JOHN $319,000 d 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 3,690 sq.ft. 2 lofts and basement & formal living and dining rooms acre lot, great landscaping . . . AND A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT! m 'I.? ifeJi C - I KHtMltn, INC. a a a range reform comes a month.) The Administration intends to phase in the fee over a three-year period, a move intended to lessen the impact of fee increases on ranchers. After the phase-in period, annual adjustments to the fee would be limited to no more than a 25 percent variation of the previous year's fee. Assuming the Forage Value Index (a figure used to calculate grazing fees) remained constant, the grazing fee in the first year of implementation would be $2.76. The grazing fee for the second year would be $3.52. "Ranching is a difficult enterprise, one that rarely leads to huge profits," said Secretary Babbitt. "We recognized this while drafting our proposal, and came down right in the middle of a range of reasonable fee options. This proposed fee level will ensure that ranching families continue to make a living off the public's lands, thus preserving an important part of the Western economy and Western culture." "These proposals respond to the concerns that Secretary Babbitt and I heard during our recent field grazing fees improvements ranchers have made on their federal lands grazing allotments. "Congress needs to enact laws governing grazing terms and conditions, as the Babbitt proposal is certainly an attempt to bypass Congressional oversight in this area," Ashby said. "We will work with Congress in an effort to adopt a legislated, equitable grazing fee formula for grazing fees, as well as other terms and conditions for the wise use of public lands," he said. Outdoor Dining Daily at EL CHEEiO Southwestern Grill 649-0883 255 Main St. f7 fr' 9 AT ' I 1 ' v ."a I hearings in the West," said Assistant Secretary Lyons. 'There is clear agreement that the condition of the nation's rangelands needs improvement. And, clearly, there remains strong disagreement over the fees that should be paid for public grazing. This proposal should focus the debate on fees to a reasonable range of options that balances the financial needs of ranchers and the need for additional resources for rangeland improvements. As promised, we are putting a proposal on the table and invite the public to make their views known." "In most states, this fee will still be well below market value," BLM Director Jim Baca said. "We've settled on a fee that assures the public is compensated for its resources, but which is at a "Our liroPKTATiori or Southwest Cuisine" o KvvJ 71 o BARKING PR06 0 R 1 L L 368 Main -tree.t 649-6222 Save 2 to 6 dli Immw HdDimae Safe! Lofgrerfs.yScanQesfsn'; INTERNATIONAL- CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE 3960 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, 278-4411 Mon-Frl 10-7, Sat 10-6 raise in grazing fees level that will keep hard-working families working and living on the land." In addition to addressing the issue of fees, the Administration announced other proposed changes in the BLM's approach to rangeland management. Resource Advisory Boards would involve a wide range of interested parties, such as ranchers, wildlife managers, fisheries experts, environmentalists and local business owners. These boards would provide a variety of local perspectives on range management decisions, and would replace the BLM's existing Grazing Advisory Boards. National Rangeland Standards and Guidelines will be drafted to ensure that land management is conducted in a manner consistent OU (TM11 f( o Sill with the overall health of the ecosystem. The guidelines will emphasize careful management of riparian zones, the green strips along rivers and streams. Riparian zones are particularly vulnerable to the impact of livestock grazing. The proposal also provides that water rights for water developed on public lands will be asserted for the public on BLM lands, instead of being ceded to the permittee. The proposal also calls for title to be held by the federal government for any permanent improvements made on BLM-administcred lands. These proposed changes would make BLM policy more consistent with existing Forest Service policies. The length of permits would be determined, in part, by the quality of stewardship provided by the permittee. ELNJ0Y CAR mQIXY AND UVE.LY PATO. A6 OIR CUQF PRE.-PARE.6 PRE.-PARE.6 Y0UR DINNELR OH CAR 0STDOOZ ME.60UITE. CTRILL TilE. AR0MA OF OJR E&Q EAEY EACK R.IEi AND OUZ FAM0U5 ADO&Q. CJ-IOIELN Lf CERTAIN TO TANTALIZE. Y0UR iEN5E..5. new -5pe.cial6 Daily! Oum&QQjCAlb II! |