Why should taxpayers pay $175 per AUM (a hefty premium) to buyout grazing permits/leases worth much less?
The current federal grazing program, established by the Taylor Grazing Act in 1934 and now deeply entrenched in our political and legal systems, has caused tremendous environmental damage and is a continuous raid on the federal treasury. While conservationists struggle to reform the grazing program, taxpayers are forced to pay for the destruction of their public lands. Our only realistic choices are to keep paying for ongoing environmental destruction (at an outrageous cost!) or pay permittees to end their grazing. Politically, we do not have the option to simply stop paying for the federal grazing program. The proposed fixed price of $175/AUM is more than fair market value to encourage permittee participation and avoids expensive appraisal costs for each grazing permit offered for buyout. 6 The price covers any “improvements” a permittee has made to an allotment, demonstrates the fairness of the program to wary permittees, and averts any arguments of favoritism that might arise if the
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- Why should taxpayers pay $175 per AUM (a hefty premium) to buyout grazing permits/leases worth much less?
- Wouldn a federal grazing permit/lease buyout program be expensive for taxpayers?
