Federal wildfire recovery dollars restored
BUFFALO — Federal money promised to ranchers impacted by the House Draw fire was reinstated on April 2.
At the end of March, the Natural Resources Conservation Service resumed processing applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP, for wildfire recovery.
“We met with producers throughout the fall who were affected by the wildfires, and we want to expedite assistance,” NRCS State Conservationist Jackie Byam said in a statement. “With the demands and urgency of spring grazing upon us, we’re working to meet the needs of those affected by the wildfires through EQIP.”
The federal agency’s Wyoming office allocated $4 million through EQIP for fire recovery on private lands across the state, the NRCS noted in a news release. The majority of interested landowners were impacted by the House Draw fire.
Johnson County Commission Chairman Bill Novotny sent two letters to Wyoming’s congressional delegation on the subject, requesting that the lawmakers assist the county in advocating for restoration of grazing deferral funds.
The funding was almost a casualty of the Trump administration canceling disbursements of cash from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“I am glad the policy ordeal is over, and the agricultural and conservation assistance has been restored,” Novotny wrote in an emailed statement. “These hard-working ranch families did not deserve this upheaval.”
With $2 million for 18 Johnson County ranches at stake, Novotny first wrote to Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman at the end of January.
He sent a follow-up a couple of weeks later, in which noted that the county was informed that if funding for the grazing deferral program was not restored by April 1, the contracts that cover nearly 204,000 acres will be canceled.
A grazing deferral program is a conservation measure that pays ranchers to keep cattle and sheep off of lands damaged in the fire to allow them to recover naturally.
Novotny said that he is grateful to the state’s congressional delegation and their staffs for working on behalf of ranchers, outdoor recreationists and hunters to restore the funding.
“There are additional funds available for others who haven’t yet applied,” Hageman said in a statement. “Anyone seeking assistance with the EQIP process can contact their local NRCS office or reach out to my office directly. I want everyone to know that my office is here to help.”
This story was published on April 17, 2025.