On Wednesday, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) unanimously approved a resolution to halt development of the Grazing Regulatory Action Project, also known as GRAP. The program, officially initiated last year, would have established statewide monitoring and reporting requirements on grazing operations on both public and private lands, and would likely have resulted in requiring ranchers to pay additional fees to the State.
When GRAP was launched in 2014 it was met with immediate concern and controversy from the ranching community, local governments, academia, and other stakeholders. Many felt that State Water Board staff had not demonstrated sufficient scientific evidence that new regulations were warranted, and urged both the State and Regional Boards to work with grazing operators to address water quality issues using voluntary programs. RCRC worked with other stakeholders to oppose GRAP, and supported the resolution to discontinue the program.
The resolution, along with links to comments and the State Water Board’s response to comments, can be accessed here.