Taylor Grazing Act
Encyclopedia
The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 (P.L. 73-482) is a United States federal law that provides for the regulation of grazing on the public land
s (excluding Alaska) to improve rangeland conditions and regulate their use.
The law initially permitted 80 million acres (324,000 km2) of previously unreserved public lands of the United States to be placed into grazing districts to be administered by the Department of the Interior. As amended, the law now sets no limit on the amount of lands in grazing districts. There are currently approximately 162 million acres (656,000 km2) inside grazing allotments.
These can be vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved land from public lands, all except for Alaska
, national forest
s, parks, monuments, Indian reservation
s, railroad grant lands, and revested Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands. Surrounding land owners may be granted right of passage over these districts. Permits are given for grazing privileges in the districts. Also permits can be given to build fences, reservoirs, and other improvements.
The permittees are required to pay a fee, and the permit cannot exceed ten years but is renewable. Permits can be revoked due to severe drought
or other natural disasters that deplete grazing lands.
, it became clear that federal regulation of public land use was needed. Since vast portions were used for livestock grazing, the importance of range management loomed large.
John Francis Deeds, Chief of the Agricultural Division of the Geological Survey and Deputy Director of the Department's Grazing Division, advocacy was influential in bringing about the benefits of the Taylor Grazing Act.
Congressman Don B. Colton of Utah
introduced a bill to create grazing districts, but the bill failed to pass the US Senate. In 1933, Representative Taylor re-introduced the Colton bill as the Taylor bill. This bill set up the grazing bureau or service in the Department of Interior to administer the range lands. The Grazing Service was merged with the General Land Office
in 1946 to form the Bureau of Land Management
Case studies by Phillip O. Foss
on the role of local grazing advisory committees established by the Taylor Grazing Act in regulating the grazing of livestock on federal public lands found that such committees were often dominated by the same ranchers and cattlemen whose activities were supposed to be regulated, raising questions as to whether grazing regulation had been "captured" by the regulated interests.
The act was named for Edward T. Taylor
, a congressman from Colorado.
Public land
In all modern states, some land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land. The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countries...
s (excluding Alaska) to improve rangeland conditions and regulate their use.
The law initially permitted 80 million acres (324,000 km2) of previously unreserved public lands of the United States to be placed into grazing districts to be administered by the Department of the Interior. As amended, the law now sets no limit on the amount of lands in grazing districts. There are currently approximately 162 million acres (656,000 km2) inside grazing allotments.
These can be vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved land from public lands, all except for Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, national forest
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
s, parks, monuments, Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
s, railroad grant lands, and revested Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands. Surrounding land owners may be granted right of passage over these districts. Permits are given for grazing privileges in the districts. Also permits can be given to build fences, reservoirs, and other improvements.
The permittees are required to pay a fee, and the permit cannot exceed ten years but is renewable. Permits can be revoked due to severe drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
or other natural disasters that deplete grazing lands.
History
During the administration of President Herbert HooverHerbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
, it became clear that federal regulation of public land use was needed. Since vast portions were used for livestock grazing, the importance of range management loomed large.
John Francis Deeds, Chief of the Agricultural Division of the Geological Survey and Deputy Director of the Department's Grazing Division, advocacy was influential in bringing about the benefits of the Taylor Grazing Act.
Congressman Don B. Colton of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
introduced a bill to create grazing districts, but the bill failed to pass the US Senate. In 1933, Representative Taylor re-introduced the Colton bill as the Taylor bill. This bill set up the grazing bureau or service in the Department of Interior to administer the range lands. The Grazing Service was merged with the General Land Office
General Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
in 1946 to form the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
Case studies by Phillip O. Foss
Phillip O. Foss
Phillip Oliver Foss, an American political scientist, was born in Maxbass, North Dakota to Oliver Foss and Petra Elton Foss and died in Fort Collins, Colorado. He was a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War; was employed in public service with the U.S...
on the role of local grazing advisory committees established by the Taylor Grazing Act in regulating the grazing of livestock on federal public lands found that such committees were often dominated by the same ranchers and cattlemen whose activities were supposed to be regulated, raising questions as to whether grazing regulation had been "captured" by the regulated interests.
The act was named for Edward T. Taylor
Edward T. Taylor
Edward Thomas Taylor was a U.S. Representative from Colorado.Taylor was born on a farm near Metamora, Illinois. He attended the common schools of Illinois and Kansas, and graduated from the high school at Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1881. Taylor moved to Leadville, Colorado and was principal of...
, a congressman from Colorado.
External links
- Information about the Taylor Grazing Act from the University of New Mexico
- Taylor Grazing Act. http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Casper/range/taylor.1.html Accessed 1-28-09.