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Federal land policy in Kentucky

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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 4.25 percent of Kentucky's total land, 1,083,104 acres out of 25,512,320 total acres.

Kentucky ranked 29nd in the nation in federal land ownership as of 2012.

Land ownership

See also: Federal land policy and Federal land ownership by state

In 2012, the federal government owned between 635 million and 640 million of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States, about 28 percent of the total. 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]

According to the Congressional Research Service, Kentucky spans 25.51 million acres. Of that total, 4.25 percent, or 1.08 million acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 24.4 million acres in Kentucky are not owned by the federal government, or 5.55 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in Kentucky increased by 116,621 acres.[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in Kentucky compared to its neighbor, Tennessee, and a Western state, Wyoming. The U.S. Forest Service owned 814,045 acres in Kentucky compared to 718,019 acres in Tennessee and 9.2 million acres in Wyoming. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages endangered species, owned 10,938 acres in Kentucky compared to 52,037 acres in Tennessee and 70,674 acres in Wyoming.

Federal land ownership in Kentucky and other states by agency
State
Agency Kentucky Tennessee Wyoming
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 814,045 75.16% 718,019 56.36% 9,241,610 30.76%
U.S. National Park Service 94,395 8.72% 356,342 27.97% 2,344,852 7.80%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 10,938 1.01% 52,037 4.08% 70,674 0.24%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 18,370,351 61.15%
U.S. Department of Defense 163,726 15.12% 147,576 11.58% 16,025 0.05%
Total federal land 1,083,104 100% 1,273,974 100% 30,043,512 100.00%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

Recreation

National parks in Kentucky

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

Kentucky has four National Park Service units, two national forests and one national historic trail. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 1.6 million visitors attended Kentucky's national parks and monuments and generated $99.2 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville, Kentucky

State recreation lands

The table below contains a list of all state parks in Kentucky.[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 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, 69 leases (0.15 percent of all leases), covering 37,998 acres (0.11 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in Kentucky. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases were in Kentucky.[6][7][8][9][10]

The table below shows how Kentucky compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. Kentucky had more active leases and acres under lease than Tennessee and Virginia but fewer than West Virginia.

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
Kentucky 69 37,998 0.15% 0.11%
Tennessee 2 736 0.00% 0.00%
Virginia 39 28,547 0.08% 0.08%
West Virginia 257 119,883 0.54% 0.33%
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 Kentucky compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013. Kentucky received more PILTs in 2013 than Tennessee but fewer than Virginia and West Virginia.

Total PILTs for Kentucky and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
Kentucky $1,553,048 $1,835,766 $1,949,675 0.49%
Tennessee $1,695,519 $1,826,471 $1,877,039 0.47%
Virginia $2,791,489 $3,113,070 $3,263,807 0.81%
West Virginia $2,863,940 $2,953,219 $2,892,560 0.72%
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. ↑ Kentucky Parks Department, "Find Parks," accessed December 16, 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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