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Federal land policy in South Dakota

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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 5.41 percent of South Dakota's total land, 2,646,241 acres out of 48,881,920 total acres.

South Dakota ranked 18th 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, South Dakota spans 48.8 million acres. Of that total, 5.41 percent, or 2.6 million acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 46 million acres in South Dakota are not owned by the federal government, or 54.7 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in South Dakota increased by 19,647 acres.[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in South Dakota compared to neighboring states Minnesota and North Dakota, as a comparison.

Federal land ownership in South Dakota and other states by agency
State
Agency South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 2,017,435 76.24% 2,841,630 81.91% 1,106,034 63.72%
U.S. National Park Service 141,312 5.34% 139,570 4.02% 71,250 4.10%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 205,128 7.75% 483,787 13.95% 484,681 27.92%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management 274,437 10.37% 1,447 0.04% 58,841 3.39%
U.S. Department of Defense 7,929 0.30% 2,777 0.08% 14,950 0.86%
Total federal land 2,646,241 100% 3,469,211 100% 1,735,756 100.00%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

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

Recreation

National parks in South Dakota

South Dakota has six National Park Service units, one national monument, four national forests, two wilderness areas, one national historic site and one national historic trail. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 3.9 million visitors attended South Dakota's national parks and monuments and generated $239.3 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

State recreation lands

The table below contains a list of all state parks in South Dakota.

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, 303 leases (0.64 percent of all leases), covering 162,902 acres (0.45 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in South Dakota. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, two leases were in South Dakota.[5][6][7][8][9]

The table below shows how South Dakota compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013.

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
South Dakota 303 162,902 0.64% 0.45%
Montana 3,488 2,728,738 7.35% 7.56%
Nebraska 30 11,428 0.06% 0.03%
North Dakota 2,061 1,024,007 4.35% 2.84%
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
Sheep grazing on BLM lands in Worland, Wyoming in 1940

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages livestock grazing on 155 million acres of its public lands. Nationally, the BLM oversees about 18,000 permits and leases that allow ranchers to graze their livestock, mostly sheep and cows, on BLM-managed lands. The permits and leases overseen by the BLM are valid for 10 years and the fees are based on the number of animals the rancher has on the land. To track these animals the BLM created what are called Animal Unit Months (AUMs), or "the amount of forage needed to sustain one cow, five sheep, or five goats for a month." Since 1954, grazing on public lands has declined, from 18.2 million AUMs to 7.9 million AUMs in 2013. 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.[10][11][12]

The table below compares the grazing permits in the 10 states where permits are issued.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Grazing on BLM lands (March 2011)
State BLM land (acres) Grazing allotments Grazing permits Animal unit months (AUMs) of livestock use
South Dakota 274,437 504 N/A 73,800
Alaska 72,958,757 15 N/A N/A
Arizona 12,203,495 824 759 659,990
California 15,306,243 699 572 525,000
Colorado 8,332,001 2,500 1,500 N/A
Idaho 11,610,111 N/A 199 832,000
Nevada 47,805,923 745 635 1,100,000
Oregon 16,134,191 N/A 753 960,288
Utah 22,854,937 1,410 1,462 1,300,000
Washington 429,156 N/A 266 32,976
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Fact Sheet on the BLM’s Management of Livestock Grazing"

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.[20]

The table below shows PILTs for South Dakota compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013.

Total PILTs for South Dakota and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
South Dakota $4,995,110 $5,363,811 $5,669,767 1.41%
Montana $24,717,269 $26,151,999 $26,497,071 6.60%
Nebraska $996,651 $1,131,384 $1,120,561 0.28%
North Dakota $1,452,758 $1,418,453 $1,374,438 0.34%
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. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing Permits," accessed October 6, 2014
  11. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Rangeland Program Glossary," March 4, 2011
  12. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Fact Sheet on the BLM’s Management of Livestock Grazing," March 28, 2014
  13. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  14. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  15. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  16. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  17. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  18. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  19. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  20. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT," accessed October 4, 2014
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