Federal land policy in Pennsylvania
 in Pennsylvania |
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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 2.14 percent of Pennsylvania's total land, 616,896 acres out of 28,804,480 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, Pennsylvania spans 28.8 million acres. Of that total, 2.14 percent, or 616,896 acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 28.2 million acres in Pennsylvania are not owned by the federal government, or 12.76 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in Pennsylvania increased by 5,647 acres.[1]
The table below shows federal land ownership in Pennsylvania compared to its neighbor, Maryland, and a Western state, Utah. More than 80 percent of federal land in Pennsylvania was owned by the U.S. Forest Service. Maryland had no land owned by the U.S. Forest Service. Over 55 percent of Maryland's federal land is owned by the U.S. Department of Defense (108,391 acres) while the Department of Defense owned 43,502 acres in Pennsylvania.
| Federal land ownership in Pennsylvania and other states by agency | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | |||||||||||
| Agency | Pennsylvania | Maryland | Utah | ||||||||
| Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | Acres owned | Percentage owned | ||||||
| U.S. Forest Service | 513,418 | 83.23% | 0 | 0.00% | 8,207,415 | 23.43% | |||||
| U.S. National Park Service | 50,014 | 8.11% | 40,543 | 20.69% | 2,097,106 | 5.99% | |||||
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 9,962 | 1.61% | 46,504 | 23.73% | 107,885 | 0.31% | |||||
| U.S. Bureau of Land Management | 0 | 0.00% | 548 | 0.28% | 22,854,937 | 65.24% | |||||
| U.S. Department of Defense | 43,502 | 7.05% | 108,391 | 55.31% | 1,766,260 | 5.04% | |||||
| Total federal land | 616,896 | 100% | 195,986 | 100% | 35,033,603 | 100% | |||||
| Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data" | |||||||||||
Land usage
Recreation
National parks in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has 18 National Park Service units, one national monument, one national forest, two wilderness areas, one national recreation area, seven national historic sites and two national historic trails. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 9.1 million visitors attended Pennsylvania's national parks and monuments and generated $477.2 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]
State recreation lands
Pennsylvania's state parks are operated by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The first state park opened in Valley Forge in 1879. As of 2011, there were 120 state parks in Pennsylvania.[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 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 containing information on how the exploration, drilling and production will be conducted by the company. Afterward, the BLM will produce an environmental analysis and a list of requirements before energy exploration 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, 69 leases (0.15 percent of all leases), covering 4,761 million acres (0.01 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in Pennsylvania. In 2013, none of the 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration were in Pennsylvania.[6][7][8][9][10]
The table below shows how Pennsylvania compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. Pennsylvania had more active leases and acres under lease than Maryland and New York but fewer than Ohio.
| 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 |
| Pennsylvania | 69 | 4,761 | 0.15% | 0.01% |
| Maryland | 4 | 2,632 | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| New York | 5 | 1,183 | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Ohio | 267 | 57,886 | 0.56% | 0.16% |
| 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 Pennsylvania compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013. Pennsylvania received more PILTs than neighboring states between 2011 and 2013.
| Total PILTs for Pennsylvania and neighboring states | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | State's percentage of 2013 total | ||
| Pennsylvania | $539,161 | $610,842 | $685,575 | 0.17% | ||
| Maryland | $99,852 | $102,393 | $99,591 | 0.02% | ||
| New York | $127,278 | $152,301 | $144,520 | 0.04% | ||
| Ohio | $521,039 | $521,866 | $554,833 | 0.14% | ||
| 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
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, "History of Pennsylvania State Parks," accessed December 5, 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
