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Federal Lands and Related Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 117Th Congress

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Federal Lands and Related Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 117Th Congress Federal Lands and Related Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 117th Congress Updated April 21, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R43429 Federal Lands and Related Resources Overview Summary The Property Clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, §3, clause 2) grants Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. The 117th Congress faces multiple policy issues related to federal lands and natural resources. These issues include how much and which land the government should own and how federal lands and resources should be used and managed. These issues affect local communities, industries, ecosystems, and the nation. There are approximately 640 million surface acres of federally owned land in the United States. Four agencies administer 606.5 million surface acres (~95%) of federal lands: the Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service, all in the Department of the Interior (DOI). The federal estate also extends to energy and mineral resources located below ground and offshore. BLM manages the 710 million acres of the onshore subsurface mineral estate. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, also in DOI, manages access to almost 2.5 billion offshore acres in federal waters on the U.S. outer continental shelf for energy leasing and other purposes. DOI, primarily through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, also is responsible for the administration and management of 55 million surface acres and 59 million acres of subsurface mineral estate held in trust by the United States for Indian tribes and individual tribal members. This report introduces some of the broad themes and issues Congress has considered when addressing federal and tribal land policy and resource management. These include questions about the extent and location of the federal estate. For example, Congress typically considers measures to authorize and fund the acquisition of additional lands as well as measures to convey some land out of federal ownership or management. Other issues for Congress include whether certain lands or resources should have additional protections, for example, through designation as wilderness or national monuments, or protection of endangered species and their habitat. Other policy questions involve how federal land should be used and managed. Congress has specified in statute the management mission and authorized uses across the different types of federal lands. For example, the dominant-use mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is the conservation of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and associated habitats for the benefit of current and future Americans. The dual-use mission of the National Park System is to conserve unique resources and provide for their use and enjoyment by the public. BLM and FS lands, however, have a statutory mission to balance multiple uses: recreation, grazing, timber, habitat and watershed protection, and energy production, among others. Conflicts arise as users and land managers attempt to balance these uses. Congress often addresses bills to clarify, prioritize, and alter land uses, such as timber harvesting, livestock grazing, and recreation (motorized and nonmotorized). With respect to energy uses, in addition to questions about balancing energy production against other uses, some questions include how to balance traditional and alternative energy production on federal lands. Additional issues of debate include whether or how to charge for access and use of federal resources and lands, how to use any funds collected, and whether or how to compensate local governments for the presence of untaxed federal lands within their borders. Congress also faces questions about wildfire management on both federal and nonfederal lands, including questions of risk management and funding suppression efforts. Another recent concern has been the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on federal and tribal land and resource management. Congressional Research Service Federal Lands and Related Resources Overview Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Federal Estate Ownership ................................................................................................................ 4 Agencies Managing Federal and Tribal Lands .......................................................................... 5 Agency Acquisition and Disposal Authorities .......................................................................... 7 Funding Issues ................................................................................................................................. 7 Land and Water Conservation Fund .......................................................................................... 8 Deferred Maintenance ............................................................................................................... 9 Federal Payment and Revenue-Sharing Programs .................................................................. 10 Climate Policy and Federal Land Management ............................................................................ 12 Energy and Mineral Resources ...................................................................................................... 14 Traditional (Nonrenewable) Energy Resources ...................................................................... 16 Renewable Energy Resources ................................................................................................. 17 Mineral and Material Resources ............................................................................................. 19 Forest Management ....................................................................................................................... 19 Other Land Designations ............................................................................................................... 21 Wilderness and Related Designations ..................................................................................... 21 The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and the National Trails System ...................... 23 National Monuments and the Antiquities Act ......................................................................... 24 National Marine Sanctuaries and Marine National Monuments ............................................. 25 Range Management ....................................................................................................................... 26 Livestock Grazing ................................................................................................................... 26 Wild Horses and Burros .......................................................................................................... 27 Recreation ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Species Management ..................................................................................................................... 29 Endangered Species ................................................................................................................ 30 Invasive Species ...................................................................................................................... 31 Tribal Lands and Resources Management ..................................................................................... 32 Wildfire Management .................................................................................................................... 34 COVID-19 Issues .......................................................................................................................... 35 Figures Figure 1. U.S. Federal Onshore and Offshore Lands ...................................................................... 2 Contacts Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 37 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 37 Congressional Research Service Federal Lands and Related Resources Overview Introduction Federal land management decisions influence the U.S. economy, environment, and social welfare. These decisions determine how the nation’s federal lands will be acquired or disposed of, developed, managed, and protected. Their impact may be local, regional, or national. This report discusses selected federal land policy issues that the 117th Congress may consider through oversight, authorizations, or appropriations. The report also identifies CRS products that provide more detailed information. The federal government manages roughly 640 million acres of surface land, approximately 28% of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States.1 Four agencies (referred to in this report as the federal land management agencies, or FLMAs) administer a total of 606.5 million acres (~95%) of these federal lands:2 the Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS), all in the Department of the Interior (DOI). Most of these lands are in the West and Alaska, where
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