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§ 1901. —  Congressional findings and declaration of policy.



[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 43USC1901]

 
                         TITLE 43--PUBLIC LANDS
 
                CHAPTER 37--PUBLIC RANGELANDS IMPROVEMENT
 
Sec. 1901. Congressional findings and declaration of policy

    (a) The Congress finds and declares that--
        (1) vast segments of the public rangelands are producing less 
    than their potential for livestock, wildlife habitat, recreation, 
    forage, and water and soil conservation benefits, and for that 
    reason are in an unsatisfactory condition;
        (2) such rangelands will remain in an unsatisfactory condition 
    and some areas may decline further under present levels of, and 
    funding for, management;
        (3) unsatisfactory conditions on public rangelands present a 
    high risk of soil loss, desertification,\1\ and a resultant 
    underproductivity for large acreages of the public lands; contribute 
    significantly to unacceptable levels of siltation and salinity in 
    major western watersheds including the Colorado River; negatively 
    impact the quality and availability of scarce western water 
    supplies; threaten important and frequently critical fish and 
    wildlife habitat; prevent expansion of the forage resource and 
    resulting benefits to livestock and wildlife production; increase 
    surface runoff and flood danger; reduce the value of such lands for 
    recreational and esthetic purposes; and may ultimately lead to 
    unpredictable and undesirable long-term local and regional climatic 
    and economic changes;
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    \1\ So in original.
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        (4) the above-mentioned conditions can be addressed and 
    corrected by an intensive public rangelands maintenance, management, 
    and improvement program involving significant increases in levels of 
    rangeland management and improvement funding for multiple-use 
    values;
        (5) to prevent economic disruption and harm to the western 
    livestock industry, it is in the public interest to charge a fee for 
    livestock grazing permits and leases on the public lands which is 
    based on a formula reflecting annual changes in the costs of 
    production;
        (6) the Act of December 15, 1971 (85 Stat. 649, 16 U.S.C. 1331 
    et seq.), continues to be successful in its goal of protecting wild 
    free-roaming horses and burros from capture, branding, harassment, 
    and death, but that certain amendments are necessary thereto to 
    avoid excessive costs in the administration of the Act, and to 
    facilitate the humane adoption or disposal of excess wild free-
    roaming horses and burros which because they exceed the carrying 
    capacity of the range, pose a threat to their own habitat, fish, 
    wildlife, recreation, water and soil conservation, domestic 
    livestock grazing, and other rangeland values;

    (b) The Congress therefore hereby establishes and reaffirms a 
national policy and commitment to:
        (1) inventory and identify current public rangelands conditions 
    and trends as a part of the inventory process required by section 
    1711(a) of this title;
        (2) manage, maintain and improve the condition of the public 
    rangelands so that they become as productive as feasible for all 
    rangeland values in accordance with management objectives and the 
    land use planning process established pursuant to section 1712 of 
    this title;
        (3) charge a fee for public grazing use which is equitable and 
    reflects the concerns addressed in paragraph (a)(5) above;
        (4) continue the policy of protecting wild free-roaming horses 
    and burros from capture, branding, harassment, or death, while at 
    the same time facilitating the removal and disposal of excess wild 
    free-roaming horses and burros which pose a threat to themselves and 
    their habitat and to other rangeland values;

    (c) The policies of this chapter shall become effective only as 
specific statutory authority for their implementation is enacted by this 
chapter or by subsequent legislation, and shall be construed as 
supplemental to and not in derogation of the purposes for which public 
rangelands are administered under other provisions of law.

(Pub. L. 95-514, Sec. 2, Oct. 25, 1978, 92 Stat. 1803.)

                       References in Text

    Act of December 15, 1971, referred to in subsec. (a)(6), is Pub. L. 
92-195, Dec. 15, 1971, 85 Stat. 649, as amended, popularly known as the 
Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which is classified generally 
to chapter 30 (Sec. 1331 et seq.) of Title 16, Conservation. For 
complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note 
set out under section 1331 of Title 16 and Tables.
    This chapter, referred to in subsec. (c), was in the original ``this 
Act'', meaning Pub. L. 95-514, Oct. 25, 1978, 92 Stat. 1803, which 
enacted this chapter and amended sections 1739 and 1751 to 1753 of this 
title and sections 1332 and 1333 of Title 16. For complete 
classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out 
below and Tables.


                               Short Title

    Section 1 of Pub. L. 95-514 provided: ``That this Act [enacting this 
chapter and amending sections 1739 and 1751 to 1753 of this title and 
sections 1332 and 1333 of Title 16, Conservation] may be cited as the 
`Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978'.''

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 1903 of this title.



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