Rio Felix Watershed grazing permits renewed without new environmental review
Rio Felix Watershed Grazing Permit Renewals
Bureau of Land Management· Rio Felix WatershedBLM NEPA Register DOI-BLM-NM-P020-2026-1659-DNA ↗
BLM ePlanningWe track this on the agency’s own system of record, where most on-the-ground decisions live.
BLM plans to renew livestock grazing permits by skipping a full environmental analysis of the watershed.
What’s at risk
Wildlife habitat, water quality, and vegetation in the Rio Felix Watershed face continued grazing pressure with no updated assessment of current conditions. The agency is relying on older environmental reviews rather than conducting new analysis to reflect any changes on the ground.
If this goes through
Grazing permits across multiple Rio Felix allotments would be renewed without a fresh look at impacts to the watershed, locking in continued livestock use under potentially outdated environmental findings.
Our plain-English read of the official notice ↗. Check it against the agency’s own words below.
4 holes in the agency’s own analysis
What the public could have raised, from the agency’s own document
- I oppose this action as proposed, and I ask the agency to weigh the specific harms below.
- The notice identifies this project as a DNA (Determination of NEPA Adequacy), meaning the agency is relying on prior environmental analysis rather than conducting new analysis. However, the notice provides no information about what prior NEPA document is being deemed adequate, when it was prepared, or whether conditions in the Rio Felix Watershed have changed since that analysis. Under the 'Project Description' heading, the entire basis for the proposed action is described in a single sentence with no supporting rationale. The agency should identify the prior NEPA document being relied upon, its date, and explain why it remains adequate for current conditions.
- The notice lists a Start Date of 9/4/2026 and a Decision Date of 9/24/2026 under 'Project Dates,' giving the public only 20 days between the project's initiation and the final decision. No public comment period is identified anywhere in the notice. BLM regulations and NEPA policy require a meaningful opportunity for public participation before a decision is made. The agency should pause the decision timeline and open a formal public comment period of at least 30 days before issuing any permit renewal.
- The notice states NEPA Status is 'In Progress - Decision and Protest Period,' yet no supporting documents are described or linked in a way that allows the public to evaluate the analysis. The 'Documents' link is listed but no environmental analysis, DNA worksheet, or supporting data is described in the notice itself. A protest period is legally meaningless if the public cannot access the document being protested. The agency should post the complete DNA worksheet and all supporting documents with adequate time for public review before the decision date.
- The notice identifies the lead office as the Carlsbad Field Office and lists three contacts but provides no information about how or whether the public can submit comments or protests, where to send them, or by what deadline. Without a defined protest or comment submission process, the public's right to participate in the decision is effectively nullified. The agency should issue a clear public notice that specifies the comment and protest submission process, address, and deadline.
Show all 6 points from the document
- Say something only you can say. The law requires the agency to consider and respond to substantive comments, and specifics are what make a comment substantive.
In the agency’s own words
The Proposed Action is to issue a grazing permit renewal for the proposed grazing allotments.
Did the agency answer?
4 issues are on this record. The agency has not published its decision document yet, so each one stays pending until the agency answers.
Issues on the record, awaiting the decision
- PendingThe notice identifies this project as a DNA (Determination of NEPA Adequacy), meaning the agency is relying on prior environmental analysis rather than conducting new analysis.
The notice identifies this project as a DNA (Determination of NEPA Adequacy), meaning the agency is relying on prior environmental analysis rather than conducting new analysis. However, the notice provides no information about what prior NEPA document is being deemed adequate, when it was prepared, or whether conditions in the Rio Felix Watershed have changed since that analysis. Under the 'Project Description' heading, the entire basis for the proposed action is described in a single sentence with no supporting rationale. The agency should identify the prior NEPA document being relied upon, its date, and explain why it remains adequate for current conditions.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice, quote verified against the text
- PendingThe notice lists a Start Date of 9/4/2026 and a Decision Date of 9/24/2026 under 'Project Dates,' giving the public only 20 days between the project's initiation and the final decision.
The notice lists a Start Date of 9/4/2026 and a Decision Date of 9/24/2026 under 'Project Dates,' giving the public only 20 days between the project's initiation and the final decision. No public comment period is identified anywhere in the notice. BLM regulations and NEPA policy require a meaningful opportunity for public participation before a decision is made. The agency should pause the decision timeline and open a formal public comment period of at least 30 days before issuing any permit renewal.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice, quote verified against the text
- PendingThe notice states NEPA Status is 'In Progress - Decision and Protest Period,' yet no supporting documents are described or linked in a way that allows the public to evaluate the analysis.
The notice states NEPA Status is 'In Progress - Decision and Protest Period,' yet no supporting documents are described or linked in a way that allows the public to evaluate the analysis. The 'Documents' link is listed but no environmental analysis, DNA worksheet, or supporting data is described in the notice itself. A protest period is legally meaningless if the public cannot access the document being protested. The agency should post the complete DNA worksheet and all supporting documents with adequate time for public review before the decision date.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice, quote verified against the text
- PendingThe notice identifies the lead office as the Carlsbad Field Office and lists three contacts but provides no information about how or whether the public can submit comments or protests, where to send t
The notice identifies the lead office as the Carlsbad Field Office and lists three contacts but provides no information about how or whether the public can submit comments or protests, where to send them, or by what deadline. Without a defined protest or comment submission process, the public's right to participate in the decision is effectively nullified. The agency should issue a clear public notice that specifies the comment and protest submission process, address, and deadline.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice, quote verified against the text
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