H.R. 4513: Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act

This bill, titled the **Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health Act**, aims to modify the management of grazing permits and leases on federal lands to better support ranchers, particularly during extreme natural events or disasters. Here’s a breakdown of its key provisions:

Temporary Use of Vacant Grazing Allotments

The bill allows the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to provide limited access to vacant grazing allotments for holders of grazing permits or leases when their own grazing areas become unusable due to unforeseen natural events. These events can include:

• Severe weather (like droughts or floods)
• Wildfires
• Infestations or blights that affect the land

Eligibility and Conditions

For this temporary use to be granted, the following conditions must be met:

• One or more of the holder’s designated allotments must be unusable due to a natural disaster.
• The Secretary must determine that the vacant allotment is suitable for temporary grazing.

When issuing permits for this temporary use, the Secretary will consider the conditions of the original grazing permit, any previous agreements or conditions, and local ecological factors.

Coordination Across Agencies

The bill emphasizes the need for coordination between the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to streamline the process of accessing vacant allotments, regardless of which agency manages them.

Duration of Use

The Secretary will also have the authority to determine how long the temporary use will last, based on the condition of the vacant allotment and how quickly the original allotment can be restored for use.

Establishing Guidelines

Within one year of the enactment, the Secretary is required to develop guidelines to ensure efficient implementation of these temporary grazing measures. The guidelines may include:

• Criteria for identifying suitable vacant allotments.
• Eligibility criteria for ranchers wishing to use them.
• Prioritization processes for ranchers closest to the vacant allotments.
• Considerations for livestock types and local ecological impacts.

Periodic Evaluations

The Secretary is mandated to conduct periodic evaluations of the health of vacant grazing allotments to ensure the effective application of this measure.

Relevant Companies

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