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Federal land policy in Missouri

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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 3.79 percent of Missouri's total land, 1,675,400 acres out of 44,248,320 total acres.

Missouri ranked 24th 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, Missouri spans 44.2 million acres. Of that total, 3.79 percent, or 1.67 million acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 42.5 million acres in Missouri are not owned by the federal government, or 7.03 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in Missouri increased by 8,682 acres.[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in Missouri compared to two neighboring states (Iowa and Missouri). More than 89 percent of federal land in Missouri is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, which was a higher percentage than Iowa and Arkansas, although the Forest Service owned around one million more acres in Arkansas than Missouri. Around 59,000 acres of land in Missouri were owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which was fewer acres than in Iowa (70,564 acres) and Arkansas (373,051 acres).

Federal land ownership in Missouri and other states by agency
State
Agency Missouri Iowa Arkansas
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 1,492,596 89.09% 0 0.00% 2,598,743 82.19%
U.S. National Park Service 54,382 3.25% 2,708 2.21% 98,320 3.11%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 59,977 3.58% 70,564 57.55% 373,051 11.80%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 6,078 0.19%
U.S. Department of Defense 68,445 4.09% 49,331 40.24% 85,787 2.71%
Total federal land 1,675,400 100% 122,603 100% 3,161,979 100.00%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

Recreation

National parks in Missouri

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

Missouri has six National Park Service units, one national monument, one national forest, eight wilderness areas, two national historic sites and six national historic trails. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 3.8 million visitors attended Missouri's national parks and monuments and generated $287 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

State recreation lands

The table below contains a list of all 52 state parks in Missouri.

Economic impact of state lands

The Missouri State Parks division produced an economic impact study in 2012 on the economic benefits of the state's park system. The report found that state park visitors spent roughly $778 million at state parks in 2011. The report also found that state park visits produced $1.02 billion in sales, created $307 million in income for state park workers, and produced $123 million in federal, state and local tax revenue. The state's park service concluded that for each dollar spent in state parks in 2011, the state of Missouri received a return of $26 in economic benefits.[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 Missouri. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases had occurred in Missouri.[6][7][8][9][10]

The table below shows how Missouri compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. Missouri had no active leases or acres under lease. Arkansas had 742 active leases in 2013, which was more than neighboring states.

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
Missouri 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Arkansas 742 490,363 1.56% 1.36%
Illinois 9 1,651 0.02% 0.00%
Iowa 0 0 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 Missouri compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013. Missouri received more PILTs in 2013 than Illinois and Iowa but fewer than Arkansas.

Total PILTs for Missouri and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
Missouri $2,546,022 $2,736,800 $3,079,132 0.77%
Arkansas $4,923,263 $5,277,001 $5,840,895 1.45%
Illinois $1,111,152 $1,140,801 $1,119,970 0.28%
Iowa $455,637 $466,912 $453,945 0.11%
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. ↑ Missouri State Parks, "Economic impact of state park system," accessed November 10, 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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