Public Lands Council Capital Issues

CAPTIAL ISSUES

A COLLECTION OF MONTHLY UPDATES FROM PUBLIC LANDS COUNCIL LEADERSHIP AND STAFF

THE PRESIDENT’S PUBLICATION

With so many extreme groups and misinformed people attacking our industry regularly, it’s hard not to discouraged, and even a bit disgusted.

In my case I get disgusted and mad, but I try to remember that many - maybe even most - of the people have no knowledge of our industry or natural resource management. They get their information from self-proclaimed experts and assume it is correct. Because of this unfortunate fact, it is important that we work together to address the false and misleading statements about the benefits of good grazing.

We must remember: we’re working through temporary challenges in an industry that has fed our nation and others for hundreds of years. While dealing with these immediate issues we must work together to build the plan to achieve our 25-, to 50-, and 100-year goals. PLC cannot change the weather or direct the future of our industry. However, working together we can help develop the programs, policies, and legislation needed to grow our industry. We need you to weigh in by sharing with us the issues you are dealing with. We need to know how you, as leaders in the industry, are dealing with drought, fire, heavy snow & cold, and all the rest. Better than hearing from you would be if you would join us at our upcoming annual meeting in Cody, Wyoming. Your PLC team has been working on our annual meeting on August 24th – 26th in Cody. We will be meeting in Cody, WY from August 24th through 26th. This will be the first in-person meeting in two years, we have focused on making this meeting more than an informational meeting but an opportunity to get reacquainted with friends you haven’t seen, make new friends and learn about their families and ranches.

This will be a great opportunity to hear directly from the decision makers in and out of government, it’s an opportunity to influence your future. Come join us as we work to protect the future of our industry.

Niels Hansen

PLC President

Typical spring work here in Washington looks less like shearing, branding, and turning out on summer pasture and more like dodging tourists, coordinating meetings with Members of Congress, and managing the bevy of requests that come through appropriations season.

In her new role, Sigrid has been leading the charge on PLC appropriations requests this year, to great effect. She’s been in touch with many of you to ensure your state priorities are represented in the federal process, but your role is just as important. Many of you have upcoming meetings with your delegation, and I urge you to be prepared to discuss west-wide issues with them: the recent attack on the grazing industry by those who claim grazing is the cause, rather than the solution to western range health, the need to ensure state-based management of wildlife (including wolves, sage grouse, and more!), and the need to utilize grazing as both an incredibly important part of a sustainable rural economy and as a primary tool to manage western landscapes. Through COVID, we have been focused on ensuring we keep you up to date – and get the latest from you – on all of the pressing issues of the day. This year, we have the opportunity to revisit, restart, and reinvigorate projects that saw a ‘pause’ during COVID transitions. Coming soon: in-person meetings, new dues structures, and – with your help – new resources for academic, legislative, and litigation inquiries. As we end the month, please remember to share the upcoming deadline for PLC’s Fiscal Year 2023 grant awards cycle with your academic partners. This year, PLC has identified rangeland health and biodiversity, impacts of catastrophic wildfire, and interactions between multiple uses as priorities in our Request for Proposals. The PLC Board only wants to fund the best of the best, so share far and wide!

Kaitlynn Glover, Executive Director, Public Lands Council Office direct: 202-879-9128 | Cell: 202-525-0789 | Email: kglover@beef.org

READ WHAT WE’RE SAYING ABOUT NEPA

The Biden administration has implemented new changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as announced by the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

NEPA plays an important role in water, transportation, conservation, and public lands projects across the country, which is why these regulation changes are so important to PLC members. The restoration of three elements from an earlier NEPA bill directs federal agencies to evaluate all environmental impacts. PLC and NCBA spoke out against the rule changes on April 19, shortly after their announcement. “When it comes to federal regulations, ranchers are often caught in the middle of political whiplash, and this CEQ process is no exception,” said NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover. “Livestock producers and land managers need regulatory certainty and consistency. By returning to a pre-2020 standard, this rule returns environmental analysis to a failed model that industry and government have long agreed is woefully inadequate and inefficient. This failed model will stall important environmental projects, delay critical infrastructure improvements, and impede progress made as part of ongoing NEPA processes.” Read more about PLC’s take on the NEPA revisions here: www.ncba.org/ncbanews/news-releases/news/details/30079/biden-nepa-framework-compromisesenvironmental-economic-goals

Every place has its own quintessential signals of spring, and Washington, D.C. is no exception. The cherry blossoms jump to mind for millions of people, but for those of us working on agriculture and natural resources policy, April can only mean one thing: appropriations.

In our month-long sprint to submit appropriations requests, PLC has focused on two main buckets: legislative and regulatory outcomes that we can influence through funding, and outcomes we can influence through directive language from Congress. An example of the former is funding for the BLM’s humane, non-lethal population control of wild horse and burro herds. Per our policy book, PLC is advocating strongly for an increase in funding for this program because taking aggressive action to reduce on-rage populations is an urgent need – not just for livestock, but for the health of native wildlife, forage, and over-taxed water supplies. An example of the latter is our efforts to direct agencies to open up more vacant allotments for grazing in times of drought and in areas where sheep producers need to mitigate contact with bighorn sheep. As we all know, legislators from both parties on Capitol Hill can be spend-happy with your tax dollars. It’s important to note that some of our appropriations work is not about where we want federal dollars to be spent, but where we don’t want them. Our long-standing request on sage-grouse asks Congress to prevent federal funds from flowing to any implementation of a hypothetical future ESA listing of the greater sage-grouse. Years of hyper-partisan politics and the normalization of last-minute omnibus spending bills at the end of the year have all but obliterated the normal process for appropriations, resulting in a lot of variation from office to office on how members handle requests and set their deadlines. On top of that, we have midterm elections approaching this fall and many members are already turning their focus to either defending a very tenuous Democratic majority or flipping seats for the Republicans. With a thin window of opportunity, the work your PLC team puts in year-round to build strong relationships on both sides of the aisle is key. We have also been closely coordinating with our partners at NCBA and ASI to ensure that we are maximizing the impact of our united voice in agriculture. If you have any questions about appropriations season or want to flag a policy issue that you’re hearing about in your state, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Kaitlynn at kglover@beef.org or Sigrid at sjohannes@beef.org. Sigrid Johannes, Associate Director, PLC Office: 202-879-9122 | Email: sjohannes@beef.org

WE CAN’T WAIT TO... CATCH YOU IN CODY!

Annual Meeting is officially open! After a three-year drought without being able to meet in-person, we’re ready to have everybody wrangled together. From taking care of business to having some Wild West fun, this is not an event you want to miss. You also don’t want to miss Early Bird pricing; register here before the price increases! Additionally, be sure to call and reserve a hotel room (with our Annual Meeting codes) before they’re all booked out. For any questions or help registering, please contact Justyn Tedder at jtedder@beef.org.

Justyn Tedder, Associate Director of Operations, PLC Office: 202-879-9135| Email: jtedder@beef.org PLC JOINS AFFILIATES ON WOTUS SUPREME COURT BRIEF

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing the case Sackett v. EPA, which challenges the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean

Water Act. This case has implications for cattle producers who have experienced shifting regulations under “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS). On Monday, PLC joined NCBA, the American National CattleWomen, the Beef Alliance, and the American Quarter Horse Association in submitting an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to adopt a limited, clear WOTUS definition that finally provides certainty for cattle producers. Check out one key quote from the brief below: “The Executive Branch has failed. Since the passage of the CWA, cattle producers have managed their operations through 13 iterations of “waters of the U.S.” definitions in a mere 50 years. On average, this means that farmers, ranchers, and other landowners experience a change in how features on their property are regulated once every 3.8 years – an untenable scheme that provides no foundation for meaningful business planning.” You can read the brief in its entirety here: tinyurl.com/PLC-SCB

TUNE IN: PLC ON THE LATEST EPISODE OF BELTWAY BEEF

PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover was a guest on the Beltway Beef podcast to give an update on the work being done to ensure clear and consistent environmental regulations for cattle producers.

As the Biden administration undergoes processes to repeal and replace Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules, NCBA is working to ensure that these rules facilitate an environment where farmers and ranchers can continue critical on the ground progress, instead of impeding it. Tune in here: https://soundcloud.com/beltway-beef/ncba-leading-the-charge-

for-clear-consistent-environmental-regulations?

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: UPCOMING PLC COMMITTEE MEETINGS All committees (except the Preference WG) will meet at 10 a.m. ET (8 a.m. MT/7 a.m. PT).

May 4 Grazing Committee May 10 Recreation Working Group May 17 Wildlife Committee May 19 Ecosystem & Environment May 25 Multiple Use Committee

Meeting agendas will be shared with committee members closer to meeting dates. Need a link? Contact jtedder@beef.org.

ANNUAL MEETING

Registration is now open for PLC’s 2022 Annual Meeting in Cody,

Wyoming! From policy committee meetings and general sessions with highimpact speakers, to awards banquets and plenty of opportunities for fun, you won’t want to miss the premier event of the year for public lands ranchers.

Wednesday, August 24 • Friday, August 26 • Cody, Wyoming

Register here at your earliest convenience: tinyurl.com/CYIN2022 Hotel accommodations and further details can be found here on our website: https://publiclandscouncil.org/?event=2022-public-lands-council-annual-meeting If you have questions, please email Justyn Tedder at jtedder@beef.org Early Bird Registration Pricing Ends June 15, 2022!