For Release: June 26, 2002
Contacts: Bill Howell, 202.452.7721
Andrea Nygren, 202.452.5031
Sheri Bell 303.239.3671

BLM Distributes PILT Checks to Local Governments

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will send almost $210 million to approximately 1,900 local governments in accordance with the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act (PILT) for fiscal year 2002. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced that PILT funds are being sent three months earlier to help local governments budget for their fiscal years, many of which begin July 1.

BLM administers PILT, which enables the federal government to offset tax revenues lost because of tax-exempt federal land in county jurisdictions. "PILT monies are essential to support vital community services–such as firefighting, police protection, and healthcare–in rural communities across the West," said BLM Director Kathleen Clarke. By moving up the payments, we are providing counties with greater flexibility to manage their budgets," she added.

Congress appropriates funds for PILT to eligible units of local government each year. BLM calculates the amount of payments using a formula based on population and the amount of federal land in a local jurisdiction. These payments are in addition to federal revenues transferred to local government under other programs, such as income generated from the use of federal land for livestock grazing, timber harvests, and mineral receipts.

This year’s total payments of $209,364,595 are an increase of $10,203,715 over the payments for fiscal year 2001. Changes in payments are due to the amount appropriated by Congress and changes in other federal revenues. Since the program began in 1977, BLM has distributed more than $2.7 billion.

All states except Rhode Island, which has minimal federal land, are receiving PILT in 2002. The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands also receive payments. The states whose local governments receive the most PILT are: California, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Utah, and Colorado.

BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land–262 million acres– than any other federal agency. Most of this land is located in 12 western states, including Alaska. BLM also administers 700 million acres of subsurface federal minerals throughout the nation. The agency has an annual budget of about $1.2 billion and a workforce of about 9,000 employees.

The following is a county-by-county breakdown of Colorado's 2001 and 2002 PILT payments.