Federal land policy in Colorado
 in Colorado |
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Federal land policy involves the ownership and management of land owned by the federal government. As of 2012, the federal government owned between 635 million to 640 million acres, or 28 percent, of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Federal land is managed for many purposes, such as the conservation and development of natural resources, grazing and recreation. As of 2012, the federal government owned 36.23 percent of Colorado's total land, 24,086,075 acres out of 66,485,760 total acres.
Land ownership
- See also: Federal land policy and Federal land ownership by state
The federal government owned between 635 million and 640 million acres of land in 2012 (about 28 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Around 52 percent of federally owned acres were in 12 Western states—including Alaska, 61 percent of which was federally owned. In contrast, the federal government owned 4 percent of land in the other 38 states. Federal land policy is designed to manage minerals, oil and gas resources, timber, wildlife and fish, and other natural resources found on federal land. Land management policies are highly debated for their economic, environmental and social impacts. Additionally, the size of the federal estate and the acquisition of more federal land are major issues.[1][2]
Colorado is located in the Western United States. Western states typically contain large amounts of land owned by the federal government. According to the Congressional Research Service, the state of Colorado has a total acreage of 66.48 million acres. Of that total, 36.23 percent, or 24.08 million acres, belongs to the federal government. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government increased its ownership of land in Colorado by 506,284 acres. The federal government owns between 635 million to 640 million acres nationwide, or 28 percent of the estimated 2.27 billion acres in the nation. 42.39 million acres in Colorado are not owned by the federal government, which works out to an average of 8.04 acres per capita for the state's 5.268 million residents.[1]
The following table lists federal land ownership in Colorado, and its neighbor, Utah. The chart also lists federal land ownership data for Virginia, as a comparison.
| Federal land ownership in Colorado and other states by agency | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | |||||||||||
| Agency | Colorado | Utah | Virginia | ||||||||
| Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | ||||||
| U.S. Forest Service | 14,520,965 | 60.29% | 8,207,415 | 23.43% | 1,664,467 | 70.59% | |||||
| U.S. National Park Service | 609,880 | 2.53% | 2,097,106 | 5.99% | 304,289 | 12.90% | |||||
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 173,265 | 0.72% | 107,885 | 0.31% | 129,566 | 5.49% | |||||
| U.S. Bureau of Land Management | 8,332,001 | 34.59% | 22,854,937 | 65.24% | 805 | 0.03% | |||||
| U.S. Department of Defense | 449,964 | 1.87% | 1,766,260 | 5.04% | 258,944 | 10.98% | |||||
| Total federal land | 24,086,075 | 100% | 35,033,603 | 100% | 2,358,071 | 100.00% | |||||
| Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data" | |||||||||||
Land usage
Recreation
National parks in Colorado
Colorado has 13 National Park Service units, six national monuments, 13 national forests, 43 wilderness areas, two national recreation areas, two national historic sites, four national historic trails and three national conservation areas. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 5.39 million visitors attended Colorado's national parks and monuments and generated $330.5 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]
State recreation lands
Colorado's state parks are managed by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department (CPW). To access a complete list of public access properties operated by CPW, click here.[4]
Economic activity on federal lands
Oil and gas activity
- See also: BLM oil and gas leases by state
Private mining companies, including oil and natural gas companies, can apply for leases from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to explore and produce energy on federal land. The company seeking a lease must nominate the land for oil and gas exploration to the BLM, which evaluates and approves the lease. The BLM state offices make leasing decisions based on their land use plans, which contain information on the land's resources and the potential environmental impact of oil or gas exploration. If federal lands are approved for leasing, the BLM requires information about how the company will conduct its drilling and production. Afterward, the BLM will produce an environmental analysis and a list of requirements before work on the land can begin. The agency also inspects the companies' drilling and production on the leased lands.[5]
In 2013, there were 47,427 active leases covering 36.09 million acres of federal land nationwide. Of that total, 4,963 leases (10.46 percent of all leases), covering 3.91 million acres (10.85 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in Colorado. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, 314 leases (8.3 percent) were in Colorado.[6][7][8][9][10]
The table below shows how Colorado compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013.
| Oil and gas leasing on BLM lands by state | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Active permits on BLM lands (FY 2013) | Total acres under lease (FY 2013) | State percentage of total permits | State percentage of total acres |
| Colorado | 4,963 | 3,915,506 | 10.46% | 10.85% |
| Utah | 3,574 | 3,821,792 | 7.54% | 10.59% |
| Wyoming | 16,209 | 11,232,643 | 34.18% | 31.12% |
| North Dakota | 2,061 | 1,024,007 | 4.35% | 2.84% |
| South Dakota | 303 | 162,902 | 0.64% | 0.45% |
| Montana | 3,488 | 2,728,738 | 7.35% | 7.56% |
| Total United States | 47,427 permits | 36,092,482 acres | - | - |
| Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Statistics" | ||||
Grazing permits
- See also: Grazing permits on federal land
(Only 10 states have grazing on federal lands. This component may not be necessary)
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages livestock grazing on 155 million acres of its public lands. Nationally, the BLM oversees about 18,000 permits and leases that allow ranchers to graze their livestock, mostly sheep and cows, on BLM-managed lands. The permits and leases overseen by the BLM are valid for 10 years and the fees are based on the number of animals the rancher has on the land. To track these animals the BLM created what are called Animal Unit Months (AUMs), or "the amount of forage needed to sustain one cow, five sheep, or five goats for a month." Since 1954, grazing on public lands has declined, from 18.2 million AUMs to 7.9 million AUMs in 2013. Holding a grazing permit requires the applicant to own or control the property used for grazing. The applicant may also offer other privately owned property used for grazing by submitting a separate application. The terms and conditions in a grazing permit control how livestock must be used on BLM lands.[11][12][13]
| Grazing on BLM lands in Colorado (March 2011) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLM land (acres) | Grazing allotments | Grazing permits | Animal unit months (AUMs) of livestock use | |||
| 8,332,001 | 2500 | 1500 | N/A | |||
| Grazing on BLM lands (March 2011) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | BLM land (acres) | Grazing allotments | Grazing permits | Animal unit months (AUMs) of livestock use | ||
| Colorado | 8,332,001 | 2,500 | 1,500 | N/A | ||
| Arizona | 12,203,495 | 824 | 759 | 659,990 | ||
| Alaska | 72,958,757 | 15 | N/A | N/A | ||
| California | 15,306,243 | 699 | 572 | 525,000 | ||
| Idaho | 11,610,111 | N/A | 199 | 832,000 | ||
| Nevada | 47,805,923 | 745 | 635 | 1,100,000 | ||
| Oregon | 16,134,191 | N/A | 753 | 960,288 | ||
| South Dakota | 274,437 | 504 | N/A | 73,800 | ||
| Utah | 22,854,937 | 1,410 | 1,462 | 1,300,000 | ||
| Washington | 429,156 | N/A | 266 (leases) | 32,976 | ||
Payments in lieu of taxes
- See also: Payments in lieu of taxes
Since local governments cannot collect taxes on federally owned property, the U.S. Department of the Interior issues payments to local governments to replace lost property tax revenue from federal land. The payments, known as "Payments in Lieu of Taxes" (PILTs), are typically used for funding services such as fire departments, police protection, school construction and roads.[14]
The table below shows PILTs for Colorado compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013.
| Total PILTs for Colorado and neighboring states | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | State's percentage of 2013 total | ||
| Colorado | $27,022,334 | $27,724,576 | $31,986,266 | 7.96% | ||
| Utah | $34,659,277 | $36,038,626 | $35,391,052 | 8.81% | ||
| Wyoming | $25,656,797 | $25,315,295 | $25,340,612 | 6.31% | ||
| North Dakota | $1,452,758 | $1,418,453 | $1,374,438 | 0.34% | ||
| South Dakota | $4,995,110 | $5,363,811 | $5,669,767 | 1.41% | ||
| Montana | $24,717,269 | $26,151,999 | $26,497,071 | 6.60% | ||
| Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT" | ||||||
Environmental policy in the 50 states
Click on a state below to read more about that state's energy policy.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data," accessed September 15, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Congressional Research Service, "Federal Lands and Natural Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 113th Congress," December 8, 2014
- ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "2013 National Park Visitor Spending Effects Report," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department, "Parks," accessed December 19, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Lease Sales," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Acres Leased During the Fiscal Year," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Total Number of Leases in Effect," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Summary of Onshore Oil and Gas Statistics," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Drilling Permits Approved by Fiscal Year on Federal Lands," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Total Number of Acres Under Lease As of the Last Day of the Fiscal Year," accessed October 22, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing Permits," accessed October 6, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Rangeland Program Glossary," March 4, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Fact Sheet on the BLM’s Management of Livestock Grazing," March 28, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT," accessed October 4, 2014
