AUSTIN — Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) President Richard Thorpe issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 428, the Red River Gradient Boundary Survey Act, introduced by Rep. Mac Thornberry.

“I am pleased by the bipartisan passage of the Red River Gradient Boundary Survey Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation will finally provide legal certainty to landowners along the Red River who have faced an unprecedented land grab by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The bill calls for a survey of the contested area using the gradient boundary survey method developed and backed by the U.S. Supreme Court to find the proper ownership boundary between public and private lands. Further, it provides Texas and Oklahoma the authority to oversee the survey and approve the results.

“Since 2014, the BLM has laid claim to an estimated 30,000 acres of privately owned property along a 116 mile stretch of the Red River. Their attempted seizure has left innocent families in debt and legal limbo as they fight to keep land that they have owned for generations.

“TSCRA greatly appreciates Rep. Mac Thornberry and Sen. John Cornyn for their work on this very serious issue facing our members and other landowners. We encourage the Senate to swiftly consider the companion bill, S. 90 championed by Sen. Cornyn, and look forward to working with the new administration to get the legislation signed into law,” Thorpe concluded.

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TSCRA is a 140-year-old trade association and is the largest and oldest livestock organization based in Texas. TSCRA has more than 17,500 beef cattle operations, ranching families and businesses as members. These members represent approximately 55,000 individuals directly involved in ranching and beef production who manage 4 million head of cattle on 76 million acres of range and pasture land primarily in Texas and Oklahoma, but throughout the Southwest.

For more TSCRA news releases, visit tscra.org.