Federal land policy in Washington

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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 28.51 percent of Washington's total land, 12,173,814 acres out of 42,693,760 total acres.

Washington ranked 12th 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, Washington spans 42.6 million acres. Of that total, 28.51 percent, or 12.17 million acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 30 million acres in Washington are not owned by the federal government, or 4.37 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in Washington increased by 189,829 acres.[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in Washington compared to its neighbors, Oregon and Idaho. More than 76 percent of federal land in Washington, or 9.2 million acres, are owned by the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service owned more land in Oregon and Utah with 15.6 million acres and 20.4 million acres, respectively. The U.S. Department of Defense owned more land in Washington compared to Oregon and Idaho.[1]

Federal land ownership in Washington and other states by agency
State
Agency Washington Oregon Idaho
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 9,289,102 76.30% 15,687,556 92.20% 20,465,014 62.71%
U.S. National Park Service 1,833,697 15.06% 192,020 1.13% 507,585 1.56%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 181,693 1.49% 482,694 2.84% 48,947 0.15%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management 429,156 3.53% 574,510 3.38% 11,610,111 35.57%
U.S. Department of Defense 440,166 3.62% 77,153 0.45% 4,178 0.01%
Total federal land 12,173,814 100% 17,013,933 100% 32,635,835 100%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

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

Recreation

National parks in Washington

Washington has 13 National Park Service units, six national forests, 31 wilderness areas, one national recreation areas, three national historic sites and one national historic trail. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 7.3 million visitors attended Washington's national parks and monuments and generated $430.8 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

State recreation lands

There are 138 state parks in Washington, which are listed below.[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 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, 2 leases (0.0001 percent of all leases), covering 3,804 acres (0.01 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in Washington. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases were in Washington.[6][7][8][9][10]

The table below shows how Washington compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013. Washington had the fewest leases on BLM-managed lands in 2013 compared to neighboring states.

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
Washington 2 3,804 0.00% 0.01%
Idaho 4 7,355 0.01% 0.02%
Montana 3,488 2,728,738 7.35% 7.56%
Oregon 112 188,391 0.24% 0.52%
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 can be used on BLM lands.[11][12][13]

The table compares the grazing permits in the 10 states where permits are issued. Washington had more grazing permits than Idaho but fewer than other states where grazing permit data were available.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Grazing on BLM lands (March 2011)
State BLM land (acres) Grazing allotments Grazing permits Animal unit months (AUMs) of livestock use
Washington 429,156 N/A 266 32,976
Arizona 12,203,495 824 759 659,990
Alaska 72,958,757 15 N/A N/A
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
South Dakota 274,437 504 N/A 73,800
Utah 22,854,937 1,410 1,462 1,300,000
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.[21]

The table below shows PILTs for Washington compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013. Washington more PILTs in 2013 than Oregon but fewer than Idaho and Montana.

Total PILTs for Washington and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
Washington $13,843,603 $15,340,025 $17,222,833 4.29%
Idaho $25,592,241 $26,560,218 $26,326,163 6.55%
Montana $24,717,269 $26,151,999 $26,497,071 6.60%
Oregon $13,062,332 $14,004,966 $15,578,762 3.88%
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT"

State trust lands

State trust lands as of November 2014.

The Washington Department of Natural Resources manages the state's 2.2 million trust lands. Trust lands are intended to benefit specific educational and other public institutions. These institutions include capitol buildings, schools, prisons and two state universities (Washington State University and the University of Washington). According to the Washington Department of Natural Resources' 2013 annual report, about 70 percent of state trust land revenue went to the trust's beneficiaries, while 30 percent went to resource management. In fiscal year 2013, Washington state trust lands raised $141.7 million, primarily through timber sales, which accounted for $79.4 million in total revenue. Other revenue was raised from land sales, leases for agriculture and grazing, commercial real estate leases, mineral and hydrocarbon leases, rights-of-way leases, communication sites leases, special forest products leases, income from interest, and income from various permits and fees.[22][23]

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 1.2 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. ↑ Washington State Parks, "All Parks," accessed November 19, 2014
  5. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Lease Sales," accessed October 20, 2014
  6. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Acres Leased During the Fiscal Year," accessed October 20, 2014
  7. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Total Number of Leases in Effect," accessed October 20, 2014
  8. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Summary of Onshore Oil and Gas Statistics," accessed October 20, 2014
  9. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Number of Drilling Permits Approved by Fiscal Year on Federal Lands," accessed October 20, 2014
  10. ↑ 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
  11. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing Permits," accessed October 6, 2014
  12. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Rangeland Program Glossary," March 4, 2011
  13. ↑ U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Fact Sheet on the BLM’s Management of Livestock Grazing," March 28, 2014
  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. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing and Rangeland Management," December 14, 2012
  21. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT," accessed October 4, 2014
  22. ↑ StateTrustLands.org, "Washington," accessed November 24, 2014
  23. ↑ Washington Department of Natural Resources, "State Trust Lands 2013 Annual Report," April 1, 2014
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