WASHINGTON — The United States Cattlemen’s Association, American Agri-Women, National Farmers Union, and the Rural & Agriculture Council of America submitted comments on Friday to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) on its Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Amendments to Land Management Plans for Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation.
In November 2017, the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) and other public lands stakeholders submitted comments on the Department of Interior’s notice of intent to reopen the 2015 Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plans for revision. USCA stands ready to work with the Administration to move forward with the implementation of the 2015 management plans and addressing any issues or areas in need of revision or clarification. USCA opposes any efforts to dismantle the current framework and start over with new plans.
The 2015 Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plans represent the culmination of years of stakeholder meetings and millions of taxpayers’ dollars with one goal in mind: to prevent the listing of the sage-grouse as a threatened or endangered species. The diverse coalition of stakeholders that came together for this goal represented the interests of producers, landowners, sportsmen, conservationists, resource managers and federal government officials. USCA urges the Administration to leave the framework of the current management plans intact and instead work with stakeholders to address questions as they arise during implementation.
–United States Cattlemen’s Association