Trump Federal Grazing Plan Faces Lawsuit

The Trump administration is moving to open up to 24 million acres of federal land to cattle grazing under a plan that environmental groups say could harm endangered species and sensitive habitats. The proposal was implemented through a memorandum of understanding signed in March by the U.

S.

Bureau of Land Management, according to the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and details in the memorandum. The CBD has filed a notice of intent to sue, arguing the plan was advanced without required consultation on impacts to protected wildlife and habitat.

The group said the administration has 60

The group said the administration has 60 days to respond before it can seek court intervention.

The memorandum aims to speed up grazing authorizations, including in areas where grazing is not currently allowed, by using emergency authority, the CBD said. The policy sets a of “no net loss of Animal Unit Months” within grazing allotments and seeks to maximize livestock authorizations across western rangelands.

Environmental advocates say expanded grazing can degrade ecosystems by removing vegetation, damaging streamside habitat, and polluting waterways with waste and sediment. The CBD said its surveys since 2017 found that about half of 2,400 miles of endangered-species stream habitat showed significant damage attributed to livestock.

The group also argues the plan increases

The group also argues the plan increases the risk of conflict between livestock and predators such as wolves and grizzly bears. It contends that predators can be killed when they threaten livestock, and that opening previously ungrazed areas could intensify those conflicts.

The proposed expansion includes parts of national parks and monuments, including Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the CBD said. The Bureau of Land Management declined to comment, according to the report.

Advocates also question the economic significance of the move. Public-lands grazing accounts for about 2% of U.S. beef cattle production, according to the report, even as meat prices remain high.

The next test will be whether the administration changes or pauses implementation during the 60-day notice period, or whether the dispute moves to federal court for review of the plan’s environmental impacts under the Endangered Species Act.