The United States Grazing Service (USGS) was established in 1934 as part of the Taylor Grazing Act . This act was designed to control the destruction of public land due to overgrazing , which had become a problem across western states like Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. The USGS oversees grazing on these lands and regulates the amount of livestock that can be grazed to ensure that the land remains healthy and productive. The USGS also serves as an advocate for ranchers, helping them access permits, utilize water rights, comply with local regulations, and even negotiate grazing leases on public lands.
13-866: When the Taylor Grazing Act was passed in 1934 by the United States Congress , an office under the Department of the Interior was also created to manage the act. It was first called the Division of Grazing , but later was renamed the U.S. Grazing Service in 1939. Its responsibilities were to enforce the act, which leased public lands to farmers and ranchers for grazing. The Grazing Service encountered multiple problems, such as very low fees to lease land, which could not be raised due to opposition from farmers , budget reductions enacted by Congress, or unlawful use of
26-793: A bill to create grazing districts, but the bill failed to pass the US Senate . In 1933, Edward T. Taylor , a representative from Colorado, reintroduced 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 United States General Land Office in 1946 to form the Bureau of Land Management . Case studies by Phillip O. Foss on
39-451: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Taylor Grazing Act The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 ( TGA , Pub. L. 73–482 ) is a United States federal law that provides for the regulation of grazing on the public lands (excluding Alaska ) to improve rangeland conditions and regulate their use. The law initially permitted 80 million acres (32 million hectares) of previously unreserved public lands of
52-675: 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 Leadville High School from 1881 to 1882. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1884, and was admitted to the bar the same year. He returned to Leadville and commenced the practice of law . Taylor served as superintendent of schools of Lake County in 1884, and as deputy district attorney in 1885. He moved to Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 1887 and resumed private practice. Taylor served as district attorney of
65-696: The Chairman of the Subcommittee of the Committee on Mines and Mining that investigated the Copper Country Strike of 1913–14 . Taylor served as chairman of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands ( 65th Congress ) and Committee on Appropriations ( 75th , 76th , and 77th Congresses ). He is best known for sponsoring the Taylor Grazing Act , enacted in 1934, which regulates grazing on federal lands . He also
78-715: 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. Currently, there are approximately 162 million acres (66 million ha) inside grazing allotments. These can be vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved land from public lands, all except for Alaska , national forests , parks, monuments, Indian reservations , railroad grant lands, and revested Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands . Surrounding landowners may be granted right of passage over these districts. Permits are given for grazing privileges in
91-582: The Western US. U.S. Congressional amendments to the Grazing Act of 1934. Edward T. Taylor Edward Thomas Taylor (June 19, 1858 – September 3, 1941) was an American lawyer and educator who served as a U.S. Representative from Colorado . A member of the Democratic Party , he served 17 terms in the U.S. House, from 1909 to 1941. Taylor was born on a farm near Metamora, Illinois . He attended
104-421: 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 because of severe drought or other natural disasters that deplete grazing lands. During the administration of President Herbert Hoover , it became clear that federal regulation of public land use
117-650: The former U.S. Grazing Service and General Land Office. The BLM retained control of its laws until 1976. In that year, Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). The FLPMA removed the responsibilities of the former General Land Office. It also changed fees and some regulations in the BLM's other set of responsibilities, which had been owned by the Grazing Service, and that are still used today. This United States government–related article
130-563: The lands. Hoping to better control improper use of the lands, the Grazing Service moved its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah . With so much conflict surrounding the Grazing Service, the Secretary of the Interior combined the Grazing Service and the General Land Office to form the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1946. The BLM was given the responsibilities of
143-595: The ninth judicial district from 1887 to 1889. He served in the Colorado Senate from 1896 to 1908 and served as president pro tempore for one term. Taylor was city attorney from 1896 to 1900 and county attorney in 1901 and 1902. Taylor was elected to the 61st United States Congress as a Democrat in the 1908 election and was reelected to the 16 succeeding Congresses, served from March 4, 1909, until his death in Denver, Colorado on September 3, 1941. Taylor served as
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#1732845393736156-553: 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, indicating that grazing regulation had been " captured " by the regulated interests. A 2022 study found the law, which demarcated property rights, led to greater land productivity in large grazing districts in
169-618: Was needed to address the root causes of the Dust Bowl . Since vast portions were used for livestock grazing, the importance of range management loomed large. The advocacy of John Francis Deeds , chief of the Agricultural Division of the Geological Survey and deputy director of the Department's Grazing Division, was influential in bringing about the benefits of the Taylor Grazing Act. Congressman Don B. Colton of Utah introduced
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