Wyoming Rancher Ty Checketts Heads to Washington to Back Barrasso’s “Grasslands Grazing Act”

Checketts told a Senate panel that grazing on National Grasslands needs the same predictable rules and due process as other federal lands.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. John Barrasso brought a familiar Wyoming voice to Capitol Hill this week. Newcastle rancher Ty Checketts, who testified in support of Barrasso’s Grasslands Grazing Act during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee hearing.

Checketts appeared before the Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee, where Barrasso serves as chairman, to argue that ranchers who rely on National Grasslands should receive the same treatment as permittees on other federal lands, including access to stable timelines and clearer due process.

Who is Ty Checketts

Barrasso’s office described Checketts as:

President of the Association of National Grasslands
A Wyoming native from Newcastle
A rancher running roughly 1,000 head of Black Angus, operating across a mix of public and private acres
Active in industry groups including the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, the Public Lands Council, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

In other words, not a professional talking head. An actual person with actual cows.

What the Grasslands Grazing Act Would Do

The bill’s stated purpose is straightforward. Treat grazing agreements on National Grasslands the same as grazing permits on other federal lands by amending the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.

In his testimony, Checketts framed the issue as one of consistency and planning, saying access to grazing must be “predictable and consistent” for ranch operations that integrate federal allotments into long-term business decisions.

Barrasso’s release also emphasizes the goal of stable, secure ten-year agreements and permits, paired with clearer due process protections for National Grasslands permittees.

Why This Matters in Wyoming

Barrasso specifically highlighted the Thunder Basin National Grassland in northeast Wyoming and pointed to the need for “regulatory clarity” in how grazing permits are handled.

Thunder Basin is commonly cited at roughly 553,000 acres, making it a major piece of the state’s working landscape.

The Local Translation, with Minimal D.C. Fog

This is one of those bills that boils down to. If your livelihood depends on federal grasslands, you want rules that are consistent, timelines you can plan around, and a process that does not feel like a surprise pop quiz from a bureaucracy three time zones away.

Which is a very reasonable request, and therefore obviously complicated.