In one of last acts, Zinke extended grazing permits of pardoned ranchers who burned USBLM land
After Oregon cattleman Dwight Hammond Jr. received a pardon from President Trump in July and returned home to Burns, he said his main priority remained the same: working to restore his ranch’s grazing permit to keep the family operation viable.
On Monday afternoon, he learned he had reached the goal: In one of Interior Secretary Ryan K. Zinke’s last actions before resigning, he ordered the renewal of a 10-year grazing permit for Hammond Ranches Inc., run by the elder Hammond and son Steven Hammond.