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Federal land policy in West Virginia

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Public Policy
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Environmental policy in the United States

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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 7.34 percent of West Virginia's total land, 1,130,952 acres out of 15,410,560 total acres.

West Virginia ranked 28th 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, West Virginia spans 15.4 million acres. Of that total, 7.34 percent, or 1.1 million acres, belonged to the federal government as of 2012. More than 14 million acres in West Virginia are not owned by the federal government, or 7.7 non-federal acres per capita. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government's land ownership in West Virginia increased by 68,541 acres.[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in West Virginia compared to its neighbor, Virginia, and a Western state, Utah, as a comparison. More than 92 percent of federal land, or 1.04 million acres, is owned by the U.S. Forest Service in West Virginia, compared to 70.5 percent in Virginia and 23.4 percent in Utah (the Forest Service owns more than 8.2 million acres in Utah). More than 22 million acres of land in Utah is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which owns no acres in West Virginia and 805 acres in Virginia.[1]

Federal land ownership in West Virginia and other states by agency
State
Agency West Virginia Virginia Utah
Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned Acres owned Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service 1,043,794 92.29% 1,664,467 70.59% 8,207,415 23.43%
U.S. National Park Service 65,044 5.75% 304,289 12.90% 2,097,106 5.99%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 19,133 1.69% 129,566 5.49% 107,885 0.31%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management 0 0.00% 805 0.03% 22,854,937 65.24%
U.S. Department of Defense 2,981 0.26% 258,944 10.98% 1,766,260 5.04%
Total federal land 1,130,952 100% 2,358,071 100% 35,033,603 100%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

Recreation

National parks in West Virginia

The Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park in West Virginia.

There are six National Park Service units, one national forest, nine wilderness areas and one national recreation area in West Virginia. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 1.5 million visitors attended West Virginia's national parks and monuments and generated $63 million in visitor spending in 2013.[3]

Federal lands and Indian reservations in West Virginia by government agency (click the image to enlarge).

State recreation lands

The West Virginia State Park system is administered by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The table below lists the properties operated within the state park system.[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 information about how the company will conduct its drilling and production. 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 production 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, 257 leases (0.54 percent of all leases), covering 119,883 acres (0.33 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in West Virginia. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, none were in West Virginia.[6][7][8][9][10]

The table below shows how West Virginia 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
West Virginia 257 119,883 0.54% 0.33%
Kentucky 69 37,998 0.15% 0.11%
Ohio 267 57,886 0.56% 0.16%
Virginia 39 28,547 0.08% 0.08%
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 West Virginia compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013.

Total PILTs for West Virginia and neighboring states
State FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 State's percentage of 2013 total
West Virginia $2,863,940 $2,953,219 $2,892,560 0.72%
Kentucky $1,553,048 $1,835,766 $1,949,675 0.49%
Ohio $521,039 $521,866 $554,833 0.14%
Virginia $2,791,489 $3,113,070 $3,263,807 0.81%
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