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Federal land policy in Georgia

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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 5.25 percent of Georgia's total land, 1,956,719 acres out of 37,295,360 total acres.

Georgia ranked 21st in the nation in federal land ownership as of 2012.

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]

Georgia is located in the Southern United States. Southern states typically have more federal land than in New England states, but not as much as Western states. According to the Congressional Research Service, the state of Georgia has a total acreage of 37.29 million acres. Of that total, 5.25 percent, or 1.95 million acres, belongs to the federal government. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government increased its ownership of land in Georgia by 35,046 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. 35.33 million acres in Georgia are not owned by the federal government, which works out to an average of 3.53 acres that are available per capita.[1]

The following table lists federal land ownership in Georgia, and its neighbor, South Carolina. The chart also lists federal land ownership data for Minnesota, as a comparison. A plurality of federal land (44.32 percent, or 867,199 acres) is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, compared to more than 2.8 million acres owned by the service in Minnesota, which is more than the total amount of federal land found in Georgia.

Federal land ownership in Georgia and other states by agency
State
Agency Georgia South Carolina Minnesota
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 867,199 44.32% 630,741 70.19% 2,841,630 81.91%
U.S. National Park Service 39,754 2.03% 31,538 3.51% 139,570 4.02%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 482,694 24.67% 126,653 14.09% 483,787 13.95%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1,447 0.04%
U.S. Department of Defense 567,072 28.98% 109,705 12.21% 2,777 0.08%
Total federal land 1,956,719 100% 898,637 100% 3,469,211 100.00%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

Federal lands and Indian reservations in Georgia by government agency (click on the image to enlarge)

Recreation

National parks in Georgia

Georgia has 11 National Park Service units, three national monuments, one national forest, 14 wilderness areas, one national recreation area, three national historic areas and one national historic trail. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 7.04 million visitors attended Georgia's national parks and monuments and generated $348.2 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

State recreation areas

The table below contains a list of all state parks and state recreation areas in Georgia.[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 an application from the company containing information on how the exploration, drilling and production will be conducted. 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 producing 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, no leases were in Georgia. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases were in Georgia.[6][7][8][9][10]

The table below shows how Georgia 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
Georgia 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Kentucky 69 37,998 0.15% 0.11%
Mississippi 849 475,639 1.79% 1.32%
North Carolina 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
South Carolina 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Tennessee 2 736 0.00% 0.00%
Total United States 47,427 permits 36,092,482 acres - -
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Statistics"

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.[11]

The table below shows PILTs for Georgia compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013.

Total PILTs for Georgia and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
Georgia $2,072,956 $2,242,635 $2,286,091 0.57%
Kentucky $1,553,048 $1,835,766 $1,949,675 0.49%
Mississippi $1,560,083 $1,611,979 $1,580,410 0.39%
North Carolina $3,919,443 $4,030,522 $3,997,200 1.00%
South Carolina $394,712 $405,963 $470,359 0.12%
Tennessee $1,695,519 $1,826,471 $1,877,039 0.47%
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.

http://ballotpedia.org/Environmental_policy_in_STATE

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data," accessed September 15, 2014
  2. ↑ U.S. Congressional Research Service, "Federal Lands and Natural Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 113th Congress," December 8, 2014
  3. ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "2013 National Park Visitor Spending Effects Report," accessed October 14, 2014
  4. ↑ Georgia Department of Natural Resources, "State Parks and Historic Sites," accessed December 15, 2014
  5. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Lease Sales," accessed October 20, 2014
  6. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Acres Leased During the Fiscal Year," accessed October 20, 2014
  7. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Total Number of Leases in Effect," accessed October 20, 2014
  8. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Summary of Onshore Oil and Gas Statistics," accessed October 20, 2014
  9. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Drilling Permits Approved by Fiscal Year on Federal Lands," accessed October 20, 2014
  10. ↑ 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
  11. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT," accessed October 4, 2014
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