Friday, February 26, 2010

Factsheet on Fiscal Grazing Costs on Public Lands-BLM Self Dealing Racket-Fox guards henhouse-taxpayer pays-By Govt Accountability Office investigation

 

Fiscal Costs of Federal Public Lands Livestock Grazing

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported the federal government spends at

least $144 million each year managing private livestock grazing on federal public lands, but

collects only $21 million in grazing fees—

for a net loss of at least $123 million per year.1

The GAO reported that ten federal departments and agencies operate grazing programs

on federal public lands: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), USDA-Forest Service, D

National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Energy, Bureau of

Reclamation, Army Corps of Engineers, the Army, Air Force, and Navy.

The GAO admits its report is incomplete because several agencies, including the

Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Environmental Protection Agency,

which spend millions of dollars mitigating for grazing damage such as non-point source

water pollution, did not provide estimates of their grazing related costs to the GAO.

Other programs that benefit both private and public lands ranchers, such as the

“Livestock Compensation Program,”

2 were also not included in the total subsidy to public

lands ranchers.

Considering the additional direct and indirect costs not included in the GAO report,

economists have estimated that the federal public lands grazing on only BLM and Forest

Service lands

may cost as much as $500 million to $1 billion annually.3

The majority of BLM and Forest Service grazing fees are not deposited to the U.S.

Treasury, but instead are

diverted to the "Range Betterment Fund" to pay for fencing,

water developments, and related infrastructure to support continued livestock grazing

(see below).

No report has ever fully analyzed the incredible environmental costs of livestock

grazing on federal public lands.

1

GAO. 2005. Livestock grazing: federal expenditures and receipts vary, depending on the agency and the purpose of

the fee charged. GAO-05-869. Government Accountability Office. Washington, DC.

2

The Livestock Compensation Program was a huge boondoggle that paid farmers and ranchers $635 in 2002 and

2003. G. M. Gaul, D. Morgan, S. Cohen. No drought required for federal aid: livestock grazing program grew to cover

any “disaster.” Washington Post (July 18, 2006).

3

Moscowitz, K. and C. Romaniello. 2002. Assessing the Full Cost of the Federal Grazing Program. Center for

Biological Diversity. Tucson, AZ. The estimated cost of the federal grazing program at $500 million is consistent with

estimates developed by other experts. K. Hess (former special advisor on policy to the Assistant Secretary for

Program, Policy, and Budget of the Department of the Interior) and J. Wald (senior attorney and Land Program

Director, Natural Resources Defense Council) estimated the annual cost of the federal grazing program to be

approximately $500 million. Hess, K. and J. H. Wald. 1995. Grazing reform: here's the answer. High Country News

27(18). The

Economist magazine has also reported the annual cost of the federal grazing program to be $460 million.

Subsidized cow chow.

The Economist (Mar. 7, 2002): 39.

Federal Grazing Permit Loans

While taxpayers pay millions of dollars to subsidize livestock grazing on public lands, federal

grazing permittees and lessees are also allowed under dubious federal policy to collateralize

their grazing permits/leases to finance their public lands grazing operations. Both the Forest

Service

4 and the BLM5 sanction the use of publicly owned federal grazing permits and leases as

collateral for

private bank loans.

The BLM has documented more than $1.1 billion in liens on BLM grazing permits/leases

in the eleven western states.

6

Approximately 300 ranch operations have taken more than $450 million in loans on

Forest Service grazing permits.

7

In Supreme Court documents, the State Bank of Southern Utah confirmed that financial

institutions hold an estimated $10 billion in loans and related credit transactions to the

public land ranching industry, with the grazing privileges alone worth approximately $1

billion.

8

4

The Forest Service “escrow waiver” program is further described in M. Salvo. 2002. “Mortgaging Public Assets: How

Ranchers Use Grazing Permits as Collateral.” Pages 271-273

in G. Wuerthner and M. Matteson (eds.). WELFARE

R

ANCHING: THE SUBSIDIZED DESTRUCTION OF THE AMERICAN WEST. Island Press. Covelo, CA.

5

T. Jones and M. Salvo. 2006. “Mortgaging Our Natural Heritage: An Analysis of the Use of Bureau of Land

Management Grazing Permits as Collateral for Private Loans.” Distributed report. Forest Guardians, Santa Fe, NM;

Sagebrush Sea Campaign, Chandler, AZ.

6

Mortgaging Our Natural Heritage: 5.

7

Mortgaging Our Natural Heritage: 5.

8

Brief of Amici Curiae State Bank of Southern Utah in Support of Petitioner, Public Lands Council v. Babbitt, 529

U.S. 728 (2000).

Predator Control to Protect Livestock

Of the millions of dollars that taxpayers spend annually to subsidize public lands grazing, perhaps

$5 - $8

million

is dedicated to killing “predators” to protect livestock grazing on federal lands.9 Native wildlife

killed to protect livestock include coyotes, bobcats, wolves, mountain lions, and bears.

Number of predators Wildlife Services killed in sixteen western states (FY 2007): 71,196.10

Wildlife Services spent more than $61 million of federal funds to control wildlife in FY 2007; more than

$18 million was spent to protect “agriculture” (including livestock) from animal damage; of that

amount, $10,303,903 was spent in the eleven western states with the most federal public land and

federal public lands grazing.

11

Percent of Wildlife Services predator control budget spent to protect livestock on public lands: 75

percent.

12

Percent of predator control budget paid by ranchers: 1 percent.13

Percent of cattle and calf losses attributed to predation (including dogs) (2005): 4.7 percent.14

Percent of cattle and calf losses attributed to digestive problems, respiratory difficulties, calving

complications, weather and other causes (2005):

95.3 percent.15

For more information, please contact Mark Salvo, Director of the Sagebrush Sea Campaign for

WildEarth Guardians, at msalvo@wildearthguardians.org.

9

Wildlife Services claimed to spend $5.1 million to protect domestic livestock from predators on federal public lands

in FY 2004 (

$5 million). GAO. 2005. Livestock grazing: federal expenditures and receipts vary, depending on the

agency and the purpose of the fee charged. GAO-05-869. Government Accountability Office. Washington, DC: 6.

However, this amount may be higher. The agency annually spends approximately $10.3 million on activities in the

eleven western states, and it is estimated that 75 percent of this amount is used to control predators on public land

(

$8 million).

10

Data compiled by WildEarth Guardians from Wildlife Services data tables for FY 2007. Total count includes black

bears, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, northern gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves.

11

Wildilfe Services. 2008. Wildlife Services' 2007 Annual Tables: Table A. Wildlife Services Federal and Cooperative

Funding by Resource Category – FY 2007. USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services.

12

O'Toole, R. 1994. Audit of the USDA Animal Damage Control Program. Cascade Holistic Economic Consultants.

Oak Grove, OR: 1.

13

Rogers, P. 1999. Cash cows. San Jose Mercury News (Nov. 7, 1999): 6S.

14

USDA-NASS. 2006. Cattle Death Loss. USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board.

(May 2006).

Domestic dogs kill as many livestock as mountain lions, bobcats, bears, and wolves, combined.

15

USDA-NASS. 2006. Cattle Death Loss. USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board.

(May 2006)

 

Long Island Radio Show covers Wild Horse Disaster

www.wusb.fm/

90.1FM

Broadcast from Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York

 

Host:  Jim Lynch

Name of Show: Everything is Broken

Date: Tuesday, March 2

Time: 1:00 PM EST

Guests: Craig Downer- biologist and Laura Allen-Animal Law Coalition

 

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Appropriations Committee Contacts -who Salazar needs to get money from to continue the failed wild horse & burro program. Stop Him !

Committee Members

 

Democratic Members

DANIEL K. INOUYE
Hawaii, Chairman  
FAX: 202-224-6746  PHONE 
202-224-3934


Defense (Chairman), Commerce, Justice, Science, Homeland Security, Labor, HHS, and Education, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, State, Foreign Operations
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ROBERT C. BYRD
West Virginia 
FAX 202-228-0002  PHONE   202-224-3954
202
-224-3954

Homeland Security (Chairman), Defense, Energy and Water Development, Interior, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Transportation/HUD
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PATRICK J. LEAHY
Vermont      
FAX 202-224-3479  PHONE 202-224-4242


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TOM HARKIN
Iowa          
FAX: (202) 224-9369  PHONE 202- 224-3254
 
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BARBARA A. MIKULSKI
Maryland          
FAX 202-224-8858  PHONE 202-224-4654
PhFax: (202) 224-8858 one: (202) 224-4654 / Fax: (202) 224-8858     Phone: (202) 224-4654 / Fax: (202) 224-Commerce, Justice, Science (Chairman), Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Foreign Operations, Transportation/HUD
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HERB KOHL
Wisconsin              
Fax: (202) 224-9787   PHONE (202) 224-5653



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PATTY MURRAY
Washington         
Fax: (202) 224-0238       Phone: (202) 224-2621


Transportation/HUD (Chairman), Defense, Energy and Water Development, Homeland Security, Labor, HHS and Education, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
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BYRON DORGAN
North Dakota               
Fax (202) 224-1193      Phone (202) 224-2551

Energy and Water Development (Chairman), Agriculture, Rural Development, Commerce, Justice, Science, Defense, Interior, Transportation/HUD
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DIANNE FEINSTEIN
California           
Fax: (202) 228-3954   Phone: (202) 224-3841


Interior (Chairman), Agriculture and Rural Development, Commerce, Justice, Science, Defense, Energy and Water Development, Transportation/HUD
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RICHARD J. DURBIN
Illinois                
FAX (202) 228-0400    PHONE: (202) 224-2152


Financial Services and General Government (Chairman), Agriculture and Rural Development, Defense, Labor, HHS and Education, State, Foreign Operations, Transportation/HUD
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TIM JOHNSON
South Dakota             
FAX
(202)228-5765    PHONE (202) 224-5842


Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (Chairman), Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Interior, State, Foreign Operations, Transportation/HUD
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MARY L. LANDRIEU
Louisiana                     
Fax: (202) 224-9735   Phone: (202) 224-5824


Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor, HHS and Education, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, State, Foreign Operations
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JACK REED
Rhode Island               
Fax: (202) 224-4680     Tel: (202) 224-4642

 

Agriculture and Rural Development, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Interior, Labor, HHS, Education, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
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FRANK R. LAUTENBERG
New Jersey               
FAX
(202) 228-4054    Phone: (202) 224-3224


Commerce, Justice, Science, Transportation/HUD, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor, HHS and Education, State, Foreign Operations
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BEN NELSON
Nebraska                         
Fax: 202-228-0012    PHONE: 202-224-6551


Legislative Branch (Chairman), Agriculture and Rural Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Justice, Science
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MARK PRYOR
Arkansas              
FAX
(202) 228-0908   PHONE  (202) 224-2353


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JON TESTER
Montana                     
Fax: (202) 224-8594   Phone: (202) 224-2644


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ARLEN SPECTER
Pennsylvania                    FAX 202-224-    PHONE: 202-224-4254


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Republican Members

THAD COCHRAN
Mississippi,
Vice Chairman    FAX 202-224-9450  PHONE: 202-224-5054


Defense (Ranking), Homeland Security, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Interior, Labor, HHS and Education
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CHRISTOPHER S. BOND
Missouri                  FAX 202-224-8149  PHONE: 202-224-5721

Transportation/HUD (Ranking), Agriculture and Rural Development, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government
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MITCH MCCONNELL
Kentucky              
Fax: (202) 224-2499    Phone: (202) 224-2541


Agriculture and Rural Development, State, Foreign Operations, Commerce, Justice, Science, Defense, Energy and Water Development, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
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RICHARD C. SHELBY
Alabama                    
FAX: 202-224-3416            PHONE: (202) 224-5744


Commerce, Justice, Science (Ranking), Energy and Water Development, Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, HHS, Education, Transportation/ HUD
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JUDD GREGG
New Hampshire   
FAX:    202-224-4952      PHONE: 202-224-3324
202) 224-3324 202) 224-3324202
-224-3324

State, Foreign Operations (Ranking), Commerce, Justice, Science, Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, Labor, HHS and Education
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ROBERT F. BENNETT
Utah                        FAX: 202-228-1168         PHONE: 202-224-5444


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KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON
Texas
                       FAX: 202-224-0776   PHONE: 202-224-5922


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SAM BROWNBACK
Kansas                       
FAX: (202) 228-1265         PHONE: (202) 224-6521


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LAMAR ALEXANDER
Tennessee              
Fax: (202) 228-3398    Phone: (202) 224-4944       


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SUSAN COLLINS
Maine                         FAX: (202) 228-3398     PHONE:
202.224.4944.


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GEORGE VOINOVICH
Ohio                              FAX: 202-228-1382       PHONE: (202) 224-3353


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LISA MURKOWSKI
Alaska                                   
FAX: 202-224-5301     PHONE: 202-224-6665


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