The U.S. Department of the Interior revoked grazing permits that American Prairie, a conservation nonprofit, had been using to sustain a herd of approximately 900 bison on federal public lands in Phillips County, Montana, the agency announced Friday. The decision concludes a 3.5-year dispute between the nonprofit and Montana’s livestock industry, backed by Gov. Greg Gianforte and state officials, over whether bison qualify as production animals under federal law.

The move reflects the Trump administration’s direction to reconsider environmental decisions made under the Biden administration. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider the 2022 authorization, arguing that the 1934 Taylor Grazing Act limits grazing permits to animals used for production-oriented purposes.

The revocation and reactions

The Montana Stockgrowers Association praised the Interior Department’s decision. “MSGA is thrilled to see this decision by the BLM to restore grazing allotments back to their intended usage for production livestock grazing,” said MSGA President Lesley Robinson in a statement Friday. “This decision is an incredible win for public lands grazers, ranching families and rural communities across the West.”

American Prairie called the decision a troubling precedent for conservation groups reliant on consistent federal land management decisions. “This decision is not grounded in new impacts or new information — it appears to be completely arbitrary and is unfair,” said American Prairie CEO Ali Fox in a statement.

The production-purpose dispute

The 3.5-year dispute centered on whether bison qualify as “production-oriented” animals under the 1934 Taylor Grazing Act, which governs grazing permits on federal public lands. In December, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider the 2022 authorization, arguing that the law requires grazing animals to be “domestic and will be used for production-oriented purposes.”

BLM State Director Sonya Germann wrote in her 24-page decision letter on January 16 that American Prairie’s bison “are not managed for production-oriented purposes and so do not fall within the meaning of the terms livestock and domestic as those terms are used in the applicable statutory authorities.”

American Prairie emphasized bison’s ecological value to prairie restoration, noting that the BLM had already acknowledged in its 2022 approval that bison grazing is permitted on federal leases in Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

The nonprofit’s land holdings

American Prairie, founded in 2001, aims to connect 3.2 million acres to support a healthy prairie ecosystem. The conservation group has assembled extensive land holdings and federal grazing leases since its inception. By late 2024, American Prairie announced it had crossed a significant threshold: between its private land and federal leases, it controls more than half a million acres.

The nonprofit has faced opposition from Montana’s livestock industry and political leaders who characterize the conservation effort as a threat to rural communities. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who fought the 2022 BLM decision, described the agency’s reversal as a victory. “Canceling the American Prairie Reserve’s bison grazing permit will help to protect the livestock industry and ranching communities in Northeastern Montana from the elitists trying to push them out,” Knudsen said in a statement.

American Prairie indicated it may pursue legal action against the Interior Department’s decision. The nonprofit said it is “reviewing the decision and determining its course of action” in response to the BLM’s move.