Trump Administration Moves to Cancel Montana Bison Grazing Permits in Public Lands Fight
The Trump administration is moving to cancel federal grazing permits that allow American Prairie to run bison on public lands in north-central Montana, turning a regional ranching dispute into a national fight over wildlife, conservation and federal land use.
The Bureau of Land Management’s decision targets bison grazing tied to American Prairie, a nonprofit that has worked for years to restore prairie habitat in Montana. American Prairie says the move would end its ability to graze bison on federal public land, something it says it has done with BLM permission since 2005.
The agency’s argument centers on the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934. According to Associated Press reporting on the decision, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed BLM to revisit the 2022 grazing authorization, arguing public-land grazing should be limited to domestic animals used for “production-oriented purposes.”
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That wording matters because it could separate conservation-managed bison from cattle and other livestock uses on federal allotments. American Prairie says “production-oriented purposes” is not defined in the Taylor Grazing Act or BLM regulations and says the interpretation has not previously been applied that way to other livestock managers on public lands.
The Montana decision also fits a broader Trump administration environmental agenda. A White House executive order calls for encouraging energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters. Reuters reported that Interior also moved to weaken sage-grouse protections across eight western states to open more land for energy and mineral development.
Supporters of the bison permit cancellation see it as a win for ranchers and traditional livestock use. Opponents see it as a warning that public lands may be managed more narrowly for production, even where conservation and tribal bison projects are involved.
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