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Federal land policy in Nevada
 in Nevada |
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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 81.07 percent of Nevada's total land, 56,961,778 acres out of 70,264,320 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]
According to the Congressional Research Service, Nevada spans 70.2 million acres. Of that total, 81.1 percent, or 56.9 million acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 13 million acres in Nevada are not owned by the federal government, or 4.82 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in Nevada decreased by 3.05 million acres.[1]
The table below shows federal land ownership in Nevada compared to a neighboring state, Utah, and a New England state, Connecticut.
| Federal land ownership in Nevada and other states by agency | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | |||||||||||
| Agency | Nevada | Utah | Connecticut | ||||||||
| Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | ||||||
| U.S. Forest Service | 5,764,262 | 10.12% | 8,207,415 | 23.43% | 24 | 0.28% | |||||
| U.S. National Park Service | 774,751 | 1.36% | 2,097,106 | 5.99% | 5,719 | 66.83% | |||||
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,335,400 | 4.10% | 107,855 | 0.31% | 1,206 | 14.09% | |||||
| U.S. Bureau of Land Management | 47,805,923 | 83.93% | 22,854,937 | 65.24% | 0 | 0.00% | |||||
| U.S. Department of Defense | 281,442 | 0.49% | 1,766,260 | 5.04% | 1,608 | 18.79% | |||||
| Total federal land | 56,961,778 | 100% | 35,033,603 | 100% | 8,557 | 100% | |||||
| Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data" Note: This link may contain updated information that does not match the information on this page. | |||||||||||
Land usage
Recreation
National parks in Nevada
Nevada has three National Park Service units, 372 national historic sites, three national historic trails, one national forest, and one national recreation area. There are 23 state parks in Nevada managed by the Nevada Division of State Parks, a division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.[3][4] A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 4.8 million visitors attended Nevada's national parks and monuments and generated $200.3 million in visitor spending in 2013.[5]
State recreation lands
The table below contains a list of all state parks in Nevada.
| State parks in Nevada | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State park name | ||||||
| Beaver Dam State Park | ||||||
| Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park | ||||||
| Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area | ||||||
| Cathedral Gorge State Park | ||||||
| Cave Lake State Park | ||||||
| Dayton State Park | ||||||
| Echo Canyon State Park | ||||||
| Elgin Schoolhouse State Historic Site | ||||||
| Fort Churchill State Historic Park | ||||||
| Fort Churchill State Historic Park- Buckland Station | ||||||
| Kershaw-Ryan State Park | ||||||
| Lahontan State Recreation Area | ||||||
| Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park | ||||||
| Mormon Station State Historic Park | ||||||
| Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park | ||||||
| Rye Patch State Recreation Area | ||||||
| South Fork State Recreation Area | ||||||
| Spring Mountain Ranch State Park | ||||||
| Spring Valley State Park | ||||||
| Valley of Fire State Park | ||||||
| Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park | ||||||
| Washoe Lake State Park | ||||||
| Wild Horse State Recreation Area | ||||||
Economic activity on federal lands
Oil and gas permits
- 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 its 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.[6]
In 2013, the total number of active leases on federal lands was 47,427, which covers 36.09 million acres of land. Of that total, 1,881 leases (3.9 percent of all leases), covering 3.732 million acres (10.3 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in Nevada. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, 7 leases (0.01 percent) were in Nevada.[7][8][9][10][11]
The table below shows how Nevada compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. Nevada had more active leases and acres under lease than Arizona and California but fewer than Utah.
| 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 |
| Nevada | 1,881 | 3,732,390 | 3.97% | 10.34% |
| Arizona | 27 | 39,562 | 0.06% | 0.11% |
| California | 600 | 239,071 | 1.27% | 0.66% |
| Utah | 3,574 | 3,821,792 | 7.54% | 10.59% |
| 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
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requires grazing permits for any animals grazing on their lands. Grazing occurs on different kinds of land. One kind is "base property," which the BLM identifies as a "preferred" property for grazing. This base property can be private or public property. For grazing on public property, applicants must receive a state land lease. 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. The BLM processes the applications and will provide a grazing permit if BLM requirements are met.[12]
Below is a table breaking down BLM grazing activity in Nevada.[13]
| Grazing on BLM lands in Nevada (March 2011) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLM land (acres) | Grazing allotments | Grazing permits | Animal unit months (AUMs) of livestock use | |||
| 47.8 million | 745 | 635 | 1.1 million | |||
Payments in lieu of taxes
- See also: Payments in lieu of taxes
Federal payments to local governments are called "Payments in Lieu of Taxes" (PILTs), which are annual payments that offset property tax losses because federal lands within the state are non-taxable. PILTs go to local governments to fund local services like fire departments, police protection, school construction and roads. These federal lands include lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others.[14]
The table below shows PILTs for Nevada compared to neighboring states. In 2013, Nevada received the fewest PILTs compared to neighboring states.
| Total PILTs for Nevada and neighboring states | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | State's percentage of 2013 total | ||
| Nevada | $22,942,298 | $23,917,845 | $23,331,913 | 5.81% | ||
| Arizona | $31,546,890 | $32,886,575 | $32,203,852 | 8.02% | ||
| California | $38,025,813 | $40,272,053 | $41,445,228 | 10.32% | ||
| Utah | $34,659,277 | $36,038,626 | $35,391,052 | 8.81% | ||
| 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
- ↑ Nevada State Parks, "Nevada State Parks by Name," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "Nevada Parks," accessed October 10, 2014
- ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "2013 National Park Visitor Spending Effects Report," accessed October 14, 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, "Nevada Grazing," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT," accessed October 4, 2014
