The Division of Forestry, Rangeland and Vegetation Resources is Offering Additional Funding for Projects to Advance Flexibility in Livestock Grazing Permits

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
https://www.blm.gov

March 18, 2022

In Reply Refer To:
4100 (HQ-220) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 03/18/2022
Information Bulletin No. 2022-029

To:                  All Headquarter Office and Field Office Officials

From:                 Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:           The Division of Forestry, Rangeland and Vegetation Resources is Offering Additional Funding for Projects to Advance Flexibility in Livestock Grazing Permits

DD: 04/01/2022

This IB announces an opportunity to advance our efforts for managing sustainable rangeland resources and livestock operations through greater flexibilities in planning for, and responding to, changing resource and economic conditions.  We continue to have measurable success where resource conditions are responding to effective, timely, and flexible grazing management prescriptions.  We are providing opportunities and support through making additional funding available to increase flexibility in grazing permits.  Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative approaches to increase flexibility within existing laws and regulations.  Three types of projects are available for this funding:

1. Outcome Based Grazing (OBG) permit renewals – These are holistic permit renewals intended to incorporate the variety of ways that grazing management could assist in addressing ecological concerns and operational objectives of the permittee/leassee, and must conform with objectives, flexibilities, long and short-term monitoring plans and annual reporting.  Permit renewals must be designed to integrate flexibility and collaboration and could be for one or multiple permits using NEPA focused on the suite of specific permit terms and conditions to promote the attainment or continuance of land health standards.  These are Outcome Based Grazing Authorizations with fully processed permits/leases based on NEPA to ensure land health standards are met. 

2. Grazing Permits with increased flexibility (flexible permits) – Projects in this category are not restricted to permit renewals, but instead are intended to support broader permit flexibility.  Such flexibility would be accomplished through large-scale NEPA that must include measurable objectives, the specification and analysis of flexibilities, and the creation and incorporation of a short and long-term monitoring plan with required annual reporting. Such permits might address one or two flexibilities (such as season of use changes, Temporary Non-Renewable AUMs, etc.) or include many authorizations (as opposed to a holistic OBG approach to a single permit/lease renewal).
3. Other – Innovative ideas are welcome and must include measurable objectives and descriptive short- and long-term monitoring plans that would include cooperative monitoring opportunities, defined flexibilities in responses to monitoring, and annual reporting to include flexibilities implemented and monitoring results.  If you are submitting a new and novel concept or approach, please describe all the components in the attached application as well as any additional information that could help with understanding your proposed project.

Programmatic approaches for complying with the NEPA to modify a permit are available for incorporating specific components of flexibility into permits.  Programmatic approaches focus on providing changes to incorporate flexibility to a specific component of the permit, identified at a scale where they can be addressed consistently and effectively. 

All project funding submissions must be signed by the Authorized Officer(s) associated with the project area, as well as the State Director of the submitting state, indicating commitment to project completion if additional funding is provided.  Applications must be completed, signed, and submitted by the due date noted at the bottom of the Information Bulletin to be considered.  All funding provided would be spent under WBS code LXSIFLEX0000.

For additional information on this opportunity advance our conservation efforts for long-term sustainability please contact Kathryn Dyer (kdyer@blm.gov) (775)861-6647.

Due Date:  In order to submit application, please ensure that the attached spreadsheet, with all 3 tabs are filled out and submitted to Marlo Draper (mdraper@blm.gov) by April 1, 2022.

Signed by:                                     Authenticated by: 
David Jenkins                               Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director                         Division of Regulatory Affairs and Directives,(HQ-630)
   Resources and Planning

1 Attachment
     1 - OBGA application and flexibility funding request (3 tabs)