Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has “assumed jurisdiction” over three American Prairie grazing rights cases, according to a memo obtained by the Western Ag Network. These cases involve bison grazing on federal land in Phillips County and had been managed by the Bureau of Land Management for over three years.
In September, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Montana’s federal delegation requested Burgum to review the issue further. Neither the Interior Department nor the Governor’s Office commented on Burgum’s decision or the letter’s influence. The letter claimed American Prairie aimed to remove significant land areas from agriculture, raising concerns among ranchers about potential conversion into a National Park.
The opposition has somewhat eased, and American Prairie highlights the economic benefits their activities bring. They lease land to cattle producers, countering claims of economic threats. “The claim that American Prairie ‘threatens the economic vitality’ of the state, is on its face absurd,” stated American Prairie spokesperson Pete Geddes.
American Prairie maintains their actions are legal, arguing federal law allows conservation grazing and their bison are classified as livestock. They are also suing the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation over a state grazing permit near federal land involved in the appeals Burgum oversees.
American Prairie welcomed Burgum’s involvement. “We’re looking forward to the secretary making a decision in this case after more than three years of it being tied up in administrative court,” said spokesperson Beth Saboe. Saboe emphasized their request for equal treatment as other agricultural producers with Montana grazing privileges.
Saboe criticized the lengthy appeals process, stating it “undermines the integrity for everyone,” and warned against altering routine public-lands grazing protocols. “The entire system depends on consistent, lawful, and predictable application of existing standards,” she noted, cautioning that prolonged processes jeopardize all producers relying on public-lands grazing.
