DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND GRAZING IN THE GREAT BASIN

Hillary M. HoffmannVermont Law School

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS FACING FEDERAL

RANGELANDS

The Great Basin

-easternside of Sierras to Wasatch Mtns-central Oregon to Mojave Desert

Why focus on the Great Basin?

• Why focus on the Great Basin to discuss climate change and the federal range?

The region will warm by 3.6-9° by 2101

As it warms, it will dry…

Known Climate Change Effects:

• Annual average temps will continue to warm for the indefinite future (3.6-9°F by 2101);

• Increase in evapotranspiration;• Loss of snowpack; • Increased winter precip. and decreased

summer precip.• ?

What that Means for Rangelands:

• Drier conditions across all allotments• Less precipitation on all allotments• Less forage on all allotments• Hotter conditions during summer pasturing

season

What does Demand Management entail, generally?

• Resource monitoring;• Agency accountability for resource losses over

a certain percentage per season;• Resource use subject to quota;• Policies to encourage research and

development, user training;• Resource conservation practices;• Consequences for failure to comply.

What does Forage Demand Management entail?

• Forage monitoring;• Agency accountability for forage losses over a

certain percentage per season;• Forage use subject to annual quota;• Policies to encourage research and

development, permittee training;• Water conservancy practices;• Consequences for failure to comply

What can Demand Management do for the Great Basin?

• It can accommodate the certainty of global climate change more easily than legislation.

• It dovetails with the existing regulatory structure – FLPMA planning process– TGA and GTA allotment-level planning process

How Does WDM fit within the current climate change strategy?

• Obama Exec Orders –– Managing risks associated with climate

changes requires deliberate preparation, close cooperation, and coordinated planning by the federal Government, as well as by stakeholders….

– Feds must pursue “new strategies” to improve the Nation’s resilience and preparedness.

To that End…

• The Federal Government should – reform policies that may increase the vulnerability of natural or built systems, or natural resources, to climate change related risks…

References

• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Managing Water in the West (2007);

• NASA, Earth Exchange Downscale Project;• Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural

Resources, U. of Colorado Law School (B. Udall, 2013);

• IPCC 4th Assessment, USGCRP 2009 National Assessment.