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Federal land policy in New Hampshire

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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 13.48 percent of New Hampshire's total land, 777,807 acres out of 5,768,960 total acres.

New Hampshire ranked 33rd 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, New Hampshire spans 5.768 million acres. Of that total, 13.48 percent, or 777,087 acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 4.9 million acres in New Hampshire are not owned by the federal government, or 3.77 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in New Hampshire increased by 43,644 acres.[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in New Hampshire compared to its neighbor, Massachusetts, and a Western state, Nevada. The U.S. Forest Service owned the vast majority of federal land in New Hampshire, 94.5 percent, or 735,519 acres.

Federal land ownership in New Hampshire and other states by agency
State
Agency New Hampshire Massachusetts Nevada
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 735,519 94.56% 0 0.00% 5,764,262 10.12%
U.S. National Park Service 13,168 1.69% 32,946 40.33% 774,751 1.36%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 25,989 3.34% 21,850 26.75% 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 3,131 0.40% 26,896 32.92% 281,442 0.49%
Total federal land 777,807 100% 81,692 100% 56,961,778 100.00%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

Recreation

National parks in New Hampshire

Vermont has two National Park Service units, one national forest, one national historic site and five wilderness areas. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 37,837 visitors attended New Hampshire's national parks and monuments and generated $1.8 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

State recreation lands

There are 75 state parks in New Hampshire, which are listed in the table below.

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.[4]

In 2013, there were 47,427 active leases covering 36.09 million acres of federal land nationwide. Of that total, no leases were in New Hampshire. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases were in New Hampshire.[5][6][7][8][9]

The table below shows how New Hampshire compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. Neither New Hampshire nor neighboring states had active leases.

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.[10]

The table below shows PILTs for New Hampshire compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013. New Hampshire received more PILTs in 2013 than neighboring states.

Total PILTs for New Hampshire and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
New Hampshire $1,750,215 $1,800,869 $1,767,252 0.44%
Maine $303,652 $316,048 $299,779 0.07%
Massachusetts $101,403 $114,403 $111,203 0.03%
Vermont $911,147 $942,220 $944,378 0.24%
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. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Lease Sales," accessed October 20, 2014
  5. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Acres Leased During the Fiscal Year," accessed October 20, 2014
  6. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Total Number of Leases in Effect," accessed October 20, 2014
  7. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Summary of Onshore Oil and Gas Statistics," accessed October 20, 2014
  8. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Drilling Permits Approved by Fiscal Year on Federal Lands," accessed October 20, 2014
  9. ↑ 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
  10. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT," accessed October 4, 2014
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