I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3624 
To authorize voluntary grazing permit retirement on Federal lands managed 
by the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior 
where livestock grazing is impractical, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2017 
Mr. SMITH of Washington (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HECK, and Mr. BLU-
MENAUER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agri-
culture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize voluntary grazing permit retirement on Federal 
lands managed by the Department of Agriculture or the 
Department of the Interior where livestock grazing is 
impractical, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Rural Economic Vitalization Act’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Rural vitalization program. 
Sec. 5. Effect of waiver of grazing permit or lease. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The use of Federal lands by grazing permit-
tees and lessees for commercial livestock grazing is 
increasingly difficult due to growing conflicts with 
other legitimate multiple uses of the lands, such as 
environmental 
protection 
and 
burgeoning 
rec-
reational use, and with congressionally mandated 
goals of wildlife and habitat protection and improved 
water quality and quantity. 
(2) A combination of sustained drought, foreign 
competition, changing domestic markets, industry 
restructuring, and individual ranch finances has re-
sulted in Federal grazing permits and leases becom-
ing stranded investments for many permittees and 
lessees. 
(3) Attempts to resolve grazing conflicts with 
other multiple uses often require extensive range de-
velopments, intensive herd management, and contin-
uous monitoring that greatly increases costs to both 
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permittees and lessees and taxpayers, far out of pro-
portion to the benefit received. 
(4) Certain grazing allotments on Federal lands 
have, or are likely to become, unsuitable for commer-
cial livestock production as a result of the combined 
effect of the factors referred to in paragraphs (1) 
through (3) and other factors. 
(5) The cost of the Federal grazing program 
greatly exceeds revenues to the Federal treasury 
from grazing receipts. 
(6) Many permittees and lessees have indicated 
their willingness to end their commercial livestock 
grazing on Federal lands in exchange for compensa-
tion to reasonably compensate them for the effort 
and investment that they have made in a grazing al-
lotment. 
(7) Compensating permittees and lessees who 
relinquish their grazing permit or lease would help 
recapitalize an ailing sector of rural America by pro-
viding economic options to permittees and lessees 
that do not presently exist by allowing them to re-
structure their ranch operations, start new busi-
nesses, or retire with security. 
(8) Paying reasonable compensation for the re-
linquishment of a grazing permit or lease will help 
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alleviate the need for permittees and lessees to sell 
or subdivide their private lands. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMERCIAL
LIVESTOCK
GRAZING.—The 
term ‘‘commercial livestock grazing’’ means the 
grazing of domestic livestock on Federal lands as au-
thorized by a grazing permit or lease. The term does 
not include beasts of burden used for recreational 
purposes. 
(2) GRAZING ALLOTMENT.—The term ‘‘grazing 
allotment’’ means the designated portion of Federal 
land upon which domestic livestock are permitted to 
graze by a grazing permit or lease. 
(3) GRAZING
PERMIT; 
LEASE.—The terms 
‘‘grazing permit or lease’’ and ‘‘grazing permit and 
lease’’ mean any document authorizing the use of 
Federal lands for the purpose of commercial live-
stock grazing. 
(4) PERMITTEE; LESSEE.—The terms ‘‘per-
mittee or lessee’’ and ‘‘permittee and lessee’’ mean 
a livestock operator that holds a valid existing graz-
ing permit or lease. 
(5) RANGE DEVELOPMENTS.—The term ‘‘range 
developments’’ means structures, fences, and other 
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permanent fixtures placed on Federal lands for the 
furtherance of the purpose of grazing domestic live-
stock. The term does not include rolling stock, live-
stock and diversions of water from Federal lands 
onto non-Federal lands. 
(6) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ re-
fers to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec-
retary of the Interior. 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the 
Interior, as appropriate to the administration of a 
grazing permit or lease. 
SEC. 4. RURAL VITALIZATION PROGRAM. 
(a) WAIVER OF GRAZING PERMIT OR LEASE.— 
(1) ACCEPTANCE BY SECRETARY.—Subject to 
the limitation set forth in subsection (c), the Sec-
retary shall accept any grazing permit or lease that 
is waived by a grazing permittee or lessee. 
(2) TERMINATION.—The Secretary shall termi-
nate any grazing permit or lease acquired under 
paragraph (1). 
(3) NO
NEW
GRAZING
PERMIT
OR
LEASE.— 
With respect to each grazing lease or grazing permit 
waived under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
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(A) not issue any new grazing permit or 
lease within the grazing allotment covered by 
the grazing permit or lease; and 
(B) ensure a permanent end to livestock 
grazing on the grazing allotment covered by the 
grazing permit or lease. 
(b) WAIVER
OF GRAZING PERMIT
OR LEASE
ON 
COMMON ALLOTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If a grazing allotment cov-
ered by a grazing permit or lease that is waived 
under subsection (a) is also covered by another graz-
ing permit or lease that is not waived, the Secretary 
shall reduce the level of commercial livestock grazing 
on the grazing allotment to reflect the waiver. 
(2) AUTHORIZED LEVEL.—To ensure that there 
is a permanent reduction in the level of livestock 
grazing on the land covered by the grazing permit 
or lease waived under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall not allow grazing to exceed the level established 
under paragraph (1). 
(c) LIMITATION.—The Secretaries shall accept not 
more than 100 grazing permits and leases, in the aggre-
gate, per year under this section on a first come, first 
served basis. 
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SEC. 5. EFFECT OF WAIVER OF GRAZING PERMIT OR 
LEASE. 
(a) EFFECT ON RANGE DEVELOPMENTS.—A per-
mittee or lessee who waives a grazing permit or lease to 
the Secretary under section 4 shall be deemed to have 
waived any claim to all range developments on the associ-
ated grazing allotment, notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law. 
(b) SECURING RETIRED ALLOTMENTS AGAINST UN-
AUTHORIZED USE.—The Secretary shall ensure that graz-
ing allotments retired from grazing under this Act are ren-
dered reasonably secure from trespass grazing by domestic 
livestock. 
(c) RELATION TO OTHER AUTHORITY.—Nothing in 
this Act shall be construed to affect the Secretary’s au-
thority to modify or terminate grazing permits or leases 
in accordance with other law. 
(d) RELATION TO VALID EXISTING RIGHTS.—Noth-
ing in this Act affects the allocation, ownership, interest, 
or control, in existence on the date of the enactment of 
this Act, of any water, water right, or any other valid ex-
isting right held by the United States, Indian tribe, State, 
county, municipality or private individual, partnership or 
corporation. 
Æ 
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