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Land Board directs DNRC to pursue grazing‑lease rulemaking, pauses bison turnouts
Summary
The Board of Land Commissioners voted Feb. 17 to have DNRC develop rulemaking on grazing lease stocking rates that explicitly address bison and to halt new or pending bison turnouts; the motions were unanimous and include a separate policy push favoring production livestock leases.
HELENA — At its Feb. 17 meeting, the Montana Board of Land Commissioners voted unanimously to direct the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to develop rule changes on grazing leases that would explicitly address bison and to halt new or pending bison turnouts.
James Brown, Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, moved that “DNRC review existing legal authorities and develop a rulemaking package on grazing lease stocking rates, including the current omission of bison, and that DNRC neither authorize any new or pending bison grazing requests nor allow APR to turn bison out on the lease.” The motion was seconded by Attorney General Austin Knudsen and carried unanimously.
The proposal grew out of item 0226‑5 on the agenda, described by DNRC staff as a review of bison‑related grazing requests. The Land Board met in executive session to discuss litigation strategy under Montana Code Annotated 2‑3‑203(4) before resuming the public meeting and taking the vote.
Separately, the board approved a companion directive from Austin Knudsen asking DNRC to draft a policy, for consideration at the April meeting, that “favors issuing grazing leases on state trust lands to production livestock operations over non‑production operations, while honoring the fiduciary obligations of the Land Board and the agency.” That motion was seconded by Brown and approved unanimously.
Board members did not provide detailed timing for publication of the proposed rulemaking or for public comment on any regulatory package. DNRC Deputy Director Erin Weisgerber presented the grazing items to the board but did not offer a timetable in the public record.
The board’s actions limit DNRC from approving new or pending bison turnouts on affected leases pending development of the rule package and policy proposal. The board assembled in executive session when discussing the litigation aspects of these items and returned to the public meeting before voting.
The Land Board adopted the audio recording of the meeting as the official record; the agency posts minutes and meeting recordings on its website.
