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• "It represents another huge form of subsidy to public lands ranchers who are already massively subsidized by us all," Fite said. "This also brings up a whole other cost of the public lands grazing program -- the cost of water lost, fouled, wildlife habitat lost, etc. due to grazing."
• J.J. Goicoechea, president of the Nevada Cattlemen's Association, said conservationists fail to take into account that rancher-funded improvements for pipelines, water troughs and fences also benefit wildlife.
• Ranchers already are struggling because of drought and wildfires across the West, he said, and they play an important role in rural economies. Studies show each AUM has an overall economic impact of more than $75, he added.
• "Aside from providing for water and increased habitat on private and public land, federal land grazing helps fund our local schools and municipalities," Goicoechea said. "Without federal land grazing permits, the stable private property ranch tax base would cease to exist. It is better for wildlife and our environment that open, green spaces, native meadows and rural private property are not subdivided and commercially developed."
• BLM officials said the grazing fee formula was designed to support the ranching industry in the West, not to recover the government's expenditures or capture the fair market value of forage. The fee can't drop below $1.35 per AUM under a 1986 presidential executive order.
• "I would note that the fee receives most criticism from those who oppose public lands grazing altogether, so the amount of the fee is not really the bottom-line issue for these groups but the activity of grazing itself," said Tom Gorey, a BLM spokesman in Washington.
• But Fite said it's high time for Congress to raise the grazing fee as it grapples with the federal budget deficit. In Nevada, major holders of grazing permits include mining giants such as Newmont Mining Corp. and Barrick Gold Corp. that can afford to pay more, she said.
• "Unfortunately, proposals to raise grazing fees go nowhere," Fite said. "It's all about protecting the status quo exploitation of public lands."
• Barrick spokesman Lou Schack said owning ranch lands gives his Toronto-based company "a lot of opportunities to do good things."
• "(They include) progressive range management practices that support healthy habitat for all wildlife and livestock," he said. "Our ranch managers take great pride in their jobs -- taking care of the land and improving habitats as well."
• According to the BLM, Barrick Cortez Inc.'s grazing permits cover 728,570 acres and 19,185 AUMs in Nevada, while the permits of Newmont-affiliated operators

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