Federal land policy in West Virginia
 in West Virginia |
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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.
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
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]
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]
| State parks in West Virginia |
|---|
| State park name |
| Audra State Park |
| Beech Fork State Park |
| Blackwater Falls State Park |
| Bluestone WMA |
| Calvin Price State Forest |
| Carnifex Ferry State Park |
| Cedar Creek State Park |
| Coopers Rock State Forest |
| Greenbrier River Trail |
| Holly River State Park |
| Laurel Lake WMA |
| Moncove Lake State Park |
| Panther WMA |
| Plum Orchard WMA |
| Stonewall Resort State Park |
| Twin Falls Resort State Park |
| Watoga State Park |
| Babcock State Park |
| Berkeley Springs State Park |
| Blennerhassett State Park |
| Cabwaylingo State Forest |
| Camp Creek State Park |
| Cass Scenic Railroad SP |
| Chief Logan State Park |
| Droop Mountain State Park |
| Greenbrier State Forest |
| Kanawha State Forest |
| Little Beaver State Park |
| North Bend Rail Trail |
| Pinnacle Rock State Park |
| Prickett`s Fort State Park |
| Tomlinson Run State Park |
| Tygart Lake State Park |
| Watters Smith State Park |
| Beartown State Park |
| Berwind Lake WMA |
| Bluestone State Park |
| Cacapon Resort State Park |
| Canaan Valley Resort SP |
| Cathedral State Park |
| Chief Logan Lodge |
| Fairfax Stone State Park |
| Hawks Nest State Park |
| Kumbrabow State Forest |
| Lost River State Park |
| North Bend State Park |
| Pipestem Resort State Park |
| Seneca State Forest |
| Tu-Endie-Wei State Park |
| Valley Falls State Park |
| Source: West Virginia State Parks, "Parks Interactive Map" |
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.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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
- ↑ West Virginia State Parks, "Parks History, "accessed December 8, 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
