Environmental groups say grazing harms the threatened desert tortoise.
Federal agencies have ordered ranchers to remove animals from land they lease from the government. Ranchers say they need the federal leases to keep their ranches in business. Irrigation districts and farmers sued after their water supplies were cut in order to provide water for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. A federal claims court ruled in favor of the water users, saying the government should pay for the water it takes. Observers expect the government to appeal the ruling.