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Federal land policy in Massachusetts

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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 1.62 percent of Massachusetts's total land, 81,692 acres out of 5,034,880 total acres.

Massachusetts ranked 47th 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]

According to the Congressional Research Service, Massachusetts spans more than 5 million acres. Of that total, 1.62 percent, or 81,692 acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 4.9 million acres in Massachusetts are not owned by the federal government, or 0.74 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in Massachusetts increased by 18,401 acres.[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in Massachusetts compared to its neighbor, New Hampshire, and a Western state, Nevada. The U.S. National Park Service owned 32,946 acres in Massachusetts compared to 13,168 acres in New Hampshire and 774,751 acres in Nevada. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages endangered species, owned 21,850 acres in Massachusetts compared to 25,989 acres in New Hampshire and 2.3 million acres in Nevada.

Federal land ownership in Massachusetts and other states by agency
State
Agency Massachusetts New Hampshire Nevada
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 0 0.00% 735,519 94.56% 5,764,262 10.12%
U.S. National Park Service 32,946 40.33% 13,168 1.69% 774,751 1.36%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 21,850 26.75% 25,989 3.34% 2,335,400 4.10%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 47,805,923 83.93%
U.S. Department of Defense 26,896 32.92% 3,131 0.40% 281,442 0.49%
Total federal land 81,692 100% 777,807 100% 56,961,778 100%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

Recreation

National parks in Massachusetts

Clarksburg State Park in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts has 15 National Park Service units, one wilderness area, one national recreation area and four national historic sites. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 9.7 million visitors attended Massachusetts’'s national parks and monuments and generated $469.7 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

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

State recreation lands

According to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, there were 160 states parks in Massachusetts as of December 2014. The table below contains a list of all state parks in Massachusetts.[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, no leases were in Massachusetts. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases were in Massachusetts.[6][7][8][9][10]

The table below shows how Massachusetts compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. Massachusetts had no active leases or acres under lease 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
Massachusetts 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Connecticut 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
New Hampshire 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
New York 5 1,183 0.01% 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 Massachusetts compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013. Massachusetts received more PILTs in 2013 than Connecticut but fewer than New Hampshire and New York.

Total PILTs for Massachusetts and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
Massachusetts $101,403 $114,403 $111,203 0.03%
Connecticut $29,011 $29,612 $28,900 0.01%
New Hampshire $1,750,215 $1,800,869 $1,767,252 0.44%
New York $127,278 $152,301 $144,520 0.04%
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. ↑ Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, "Massachusetts State Parks," accessed December 2, 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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