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BLM Renews Grazing Permits With Little Environmental Oversight — ProPublica

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Thank you for your interest in republishing this story. You are free to republish it so long as you do the following: ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story. Once every 10 years, ranchers must renew the permits that allow their cattle, sheep and other livestock to graze on the West’s public domain. These renewals are the government’s best opportunity to address how those livestock are harming the environment. The Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service, the federal agencies that manage the majority of public lands, are required by law to review each permit before deciding whether to place additional conditions on it or — in rare cases — to deny its renewal. But in 2014, Congress mandated that the agencies automatically renew permits for

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches , a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Reporting Highlights Cattle Guard: Every 10 years, permits to graze on public lands are supposed to be reviewed in order to address livestock’s impact on the environment. Skipping Scrutiny: A 2014 law, which allows automatic renewal of permits without review, has caused a steep decline in the amount of land that’s scrutinized. Process Faulted: Environmentalists say that, without reviews, the l

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