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Federal land policy in New Jersey
 in New Jersey |
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| State environmental policy |
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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 3.67 percent of New Jersey's total land, 176,691 acres out of 4,813,440 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, New Jersey spans 4.813 million acres. Of that total, 3.67 percent, or 176,691 acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 4.6 million acres in New Jersey are not owned by the federal government, or 0.54 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in STATE increased by 30,255 acres.[1]
The table below shows federal land ownership in New Jersey compared to its neighbor, New York, and a Western state, Utah. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages endangered species, owned more than 70,000 acres in New Jersey, which was more than New York (27,997 acres) but less than Utah (107,885 acres). The U.S. Department of Defense owned 71,071 acres in New Jersey, which was less than New York and Utah.
| Federal land ownership in New Jersey and other states by agency | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | |||||||||||
| Agency | New Jersey | New York | Utah | ||||||||
| Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | ||||||
| U.S. Forest Service | 0 | 0.00% | 16,228 | 7.68% | 8,207,415 | 23.43% | |||||
| U.S. National Park Service | 35,362 | 20.01% | 33,483 | 15.84% | 2,097,106 | 5.99% | |||||
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 70,258 | 39.76% | 27,997 | 13.24% | 107,885 | 0.31% | |||||
| U.S. Bureau of Land Management | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 22,854,937 | 65.24% | |||||
| U.S. Department of Defense | 71,071 | 40.22% | 133,714 | 63.25% | 1,766,260 | 5.04% | |||||
| Total federal land | 176,691 | 100% | 211,422 | 100% | 35,033,603 | 100.00% | |||||
| Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data" | |||||||||||
Land usage
Recreation
National parks in New Jersey
New Jersey has nine National Park Service units, one national monument, one national forest, two wilderness areas, three national recreation areas, one national historic trail. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 5.02 million visitors attended New Jersey's national parks and monuments and generated $159.5 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]
State recreation lands
New Jersey has 50 state parks, state forests and recreation areas. The table below contains a list of all state parks, forests and recreation areas.[4]
| State parks in New Jersey | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State park name | ||||||
| Abram S. Hewitt State Forest | ||||||
| Allaire State Park | ||||||
| Allamuchy Mountain State Park | ||||||
| Atsion Recreation Area | ||||||
| Barnegat Lighthouse State Park | ||||||
| Bass River State Forest | ||||||
| Belleplain State Forest | ||||||
| Brendan T. Byrne State Forest | ||||||
| Bull's Island Recreation Area | ||||||
| Cape May Point State Park | ||||||
| Cheesequake State Park | ||||||
| Corson's Inlet State Park | ||||||
| Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park | ||||||
| Double Trouble State Park | ||||||
| Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina | ||||||
| Farny State Park | ||||||
| Forked River State Marina | ||||||
| Fortescue State Marina | ||||||
| Fort Mott State Park | ||||||
| Hacklebarney State Park | ||||||
| High Point State Park | ||||||
| Hopatcong State Park | ||||||
| Island Beach State Park | ||||||
| Jenny Jump State Forest | ||||||
| Kittatinny Valley State Park | ||||||
| Leonardo State Marina | ||||||
| Liberty Landing Marina | ||||||
| Liberty State Park | ||||||
| Long Pond Ironworks State Park | ||||||
| Monmouth Battlefield State Park | ||||||
| Mount Pleasant State Off-Road Vehicle Park | ||||||
| Norvin Green State Forest | ||||||
| Parvin State Park | ||||||
| Penn State Forest | ||||||
| Princeton Battlefield State Park | ||||||
| Ramapo Mountain State Forest | ||||||
| Rancocas State Park | ||||||
| Ringwood State Park | ||||||
| Round Valley Recreation Area | ||||||
| Spruce Run Recreation Area | ||||||
| Stephens State Park | ||||||
| Stokes State Forest | ||||||
| Swartswood State Park | ||||||
| Voorhees State Park | ||||||
| Warren Grove Recreation Area | ||||||
| Washington Crossing State Park | ||||||
| Washington Rock State Park | ||||||
| Wawayanda State Park | ||||||
| Wharton State Forest | ||||||
| Worthington State Forest | ||||||
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 New Jersey. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases were in New Jersey.[6][7][8][9][10]
The table below shows how New Jersey compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. New Jersey had no active leases or acres under lease, which was the same as Delaware and less than New York and Pennsylvania.
| 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 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Delaware | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| New York | 5 | 1,183 | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Pennsylvania | 69 | 4,761 | 0.15% | 0.01% |
| 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 New Jersey compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013. New Jersey received more PILTs in 2013 than Delaware but fewer than New York and Pennsylvania.
| Total PILTs for New York and neighboring states | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | State's percentage of 2013 total | ||
| New Jersey | $97,394 | $99,413 | $97,250 | 0.02% | ||
| Delaware | $17,897 | $18,268 | $17,828 | 0.00% | ||
| New York | $127,278 | $152,301 | $144,520 | 0.04% | ||
| Pennsylvania | $539,161 | $610,842 | $685,575 | 0.17% | ||
| 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
- ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "2013 National Park Visitor Spending Effects Report," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, "New Jersey State Parks, Forests, Recreation Areas and Marinas," accessed December 15, 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. Department of the Interior, "PILT," accessed October 4, 2014
