Grazing on public lands costs U.S. $123 million

WASHINGTON – Federal agencies spend at least $123 million a year to keep public lands open to livestock grazing, according to a government report that environmentalists say bolsters their argument that grazing should be limited.

“If we are going to allow grazing on our public lands, the very least we should be doing is we should be recovering the costs,” said Greta Anderson, a Tucson, Ariz., botanist and the range restoration campaign coordinator for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Jim Hughes, deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management said the agency charges a fee set by law and is not advocating a change or an increase.

“We have many programs that cost us more … to operate than we take in,” Hughes said. “It’s never been our mission to be run totally like a business.”

Ranching on the millions of acres of public lands has been a mainstay of western life for more than a century. Ranchers pay a fee often based on the amount of grass and other vegetation their cows will eat. The agencies spend the money on managing permits and leases, building fences and developing water projects, among other activities.