119-S-1981 Journalist Public Summary
119 · S 1981 Strategic Grazing to Reduce Risk of Wildfire Act
A bipartisan Senate bill would have Interior and USDA craft a plan to use targeted livestock grazing to cut wildfire fuels on federal lands, with an 18‑month deadline to deliver the strategy. (congress.gov)
Headline Summary
Use livestock grazing strategically on federal lands to reduce wildfire fuels and risks. (congress.gov)
What It Does
The bill tells the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to develop—within 18 months—a strategy for using livestock grazing as a wildfire‑risk reduction tool on public lands. The plan can include targeted grazing in high‑risk areas like the wildland‑urban interface, temporary permits for fuel‑reduction, post‑fire recovery grazing, and tools like virtual fencing, all while coordinating with permit holders, Tribes, states, and local agencies. Existing grazing programs aren’t changed. (congress.gov)
Why it matters: In parts of the West, fine fuels and invasive annual grasses such as cheatgrass drive fast‑moving fires; targeted grazing has been used to create fuel breaks and lower fine‑fuel loads in pilots and studies. (ars.usda.gov)
Who’s For It
- Sponsors Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D‑NV) and Sen. John Curtis (R‑UT) say the bill leverages targeted grazing to manage hazardous fuels and protect communities. (cortezmasto.senate.gov)
- Ranching advocates told a Senate subcommittee (in a hearing that included S.1981) that grazing is a useful wildfire‑prevention tool. (energy.senate.gov)
- Federal research programs describe how targeted grazing can create or maintain fuel breaks and reduce fine fuels in certain ecosystems. (ars.usda.gov)
Who’s Against It
- Conservation groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity and Western Watersheds Project argue that expanding “targeted grazing” on public lands can worsen cheatgrass and harm wildlife habitat, and that evidence for rangeland fuel‑breaks is mixed. (biologicaldiversity.org)
- Some studies link livestock grazing with higher cheatgrass occurrence or reduced site resistance to invasion, which can increase fire risk if grazing is poorly managed. (research.fs.usda.gov)
What’s Next
As of February 13, 2026, S.1981 remains in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee after a February 12, 2026 hearing in its Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining; next, it would typically face subcommittee or full‑committee markup before any floor vote. (energy.senate.gov)
Discussion