746
Opinion of the Court
ness, bona fide occupants or settlers." Ibid. And this statutory language has been extremely important in practice. See supra, at 734-735.
The ranchers nonetheless contend that the deletion of the term "engaged in the livestock business" violates the statutory limitation to "stock owners" in § 315b. The words "stock owner," they say, meant "commercial stock owner" in 1934, and a commercial stock owner is not simply one who owns livestock, but one who engages in the business. Hence, they argue, the Secretary lacks the authority to allow those who are not engaged in the business to apply for permits.
The words "stock owner" and "stock owner engaged in the livestock business," however, are not obvious synonyms. And we have found no convincing indication that Congress intended that we treat them as such. Just two sentences after using the words "stock owner," Congress said that, among those eligible for permits (i. e., stock owners), preference should be given to "landowners engaged in the livestock business, bona fide occupants or settlers, or owners of water or water rights." § 315b (emphasis added). Why would Congress add the words "engaged in the livestock business" if (as the ranchers' argument implies) they add nothing? Cf. United States v. Nordic Village, Inc., 503 U. S. 30, 36 (1992) ("[A] statute must, if possible, be construed in such fashion that every word has some operative effect"). The legislative history to which the ranchers point shows that Congress expected that ordinarily permit holders would be ranchers, who do engage in the livestock business, but does not show any such absolute requirement. See, e. g., H. R. Rep. No. 903, 73d Cong., 2d Sess., 2 (1934); Hearings on H. R. 2835 and H. R. 6462 before the House Committee on the Public Lands, 73d Cong., 1st and 2d Sess., 96 (1933-1934); Hearings on H. R. 6462 before the Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, 73d Cong., 2d Sess., 40 (1934). Nor does the statute's basic purpose require that the two sets of different
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