The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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Last updated: 04/04/03
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Bureau of Land Management For Release: Monday, February 4, 2002 Balancing the Needs of Citizens with Conscientious Resource Stewardship Your Tax Dollars and the Public Lands |
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BLM Requests Budget Increases in Energy, Planning, and Cooperative Conservation to Help Meet Country's Needs The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management requested today a fiscal year 2003 budget of $1.9 billion with a focus on citizen-centered conservation initiatives. The proposed budget includes $63 million for a government-wide legislative proposal to shift to agencies the full cost of employee pension and health benefits programs. Without the pension and health benefits legislative proposal, the BLM's request totals $1.8 billion. (Funding totals below exclude the cost of the legislative proposal.) The BLM's proposed budget includes increases to expand energy and related activities, accelerate the completion of land use plans, and enter into cooperative conservation partnerships for natural resource projects as part of the Cooperative Conservation Initiative. The budget proposes $918.6 million for BLM's two operating accounts, and emphasizes five major areas:
"This budget request reflects the Administration's commitment to managing the country's precious resources in an environmentally sound, fiscally responsible manner," BLM Director Kathleen Clarke said. "It's a budget that's responsive to National priorities, including our need for reliable energy supplies, that seeks to enhance citizen-centered conservation by working with local communities whose livelihoods are linked to the public lands." Cooperative Conservation Initiative: The President's budget earmarks $100 million for the Department of the Interior's land management agencies to partner with citizens, land-user groups, environmental organizations, communities, local and state governments, tribes, and industries for conservation projects that advance the health of the land and the well-being of people. Partnering organizations or individuals will match at least half of the federal funds provided. As part of the Initiative, the BLM requests an increase of $10 million to fund collaborative, cost-shared projects with other public and private partners for the restoration, protection, and enhancement of natural areas. These funds would benefit resources such as threatened and endangered species, fish, wildlife, and water on BLM-administered public lands. The request includes a $14 million increase to accelerate the agency's ability to update its outdated land use plans, and initiate plans for public lands with recent special designations. Land use plans provide the foundation on which land management decisions are made. They are also the BLM's primary tool for building consensus and inviting the public's participation in determining how the country's public lands and resources are managed. Currently, of the 162 existing BLM land use plans, 122 were completed before 1989 and do not reflect current conditions or new statutory, regulatory, and policy requirements. The increase will speed development of 37 land use plans currently underway, and start 12 additional plans. The budget request also includes a $10.2 million increase in support of the President's National Energy Policy, which identified a major role for the public lands and resources to meet our nation's energy needs. This increase will allow a more active and responsive role in the management of renewable energy resources, oil and gas, coal, mineral materials, energy-related rights-of-way, and Indian trust responsibilities. The request would increase funding $750,000 for renewable energy, and double leasing for geothermal energy production on public lands. "We have both the ability and the responsibility to help meet our country's energy needs in an environmentally responsible way," Clarke said. "This increase will help us do just that." Public lands restoration: The BLM requests a $1 million increase to initiate conservation plans for three biologically significant regions: the prairie and plains of the western plains states and the Southwest, the Wyoming Basin, and Colorado Plateau. The conservation plans will be aimed at assessment and recovery of threatened and endangered species and their habitats. The BLM is also requesting $1 million to expand and improve the use of science to guide resource management decisions and improve access to the BLM's natural resource information among federal, state, and other public and private individuals and groups. National Landscape Conservation System: The BLM requested an increase of $2 million to help manage specially designated National Conservation Areas, National Monuments, Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Scenic and Historic Trails. The increased funding would improve environmental education and public safety, and protect critical cultural resources. Other highlights include: Wildland fire management: At the requested funding level of $675.5 million, the Department will continue full implementation of the national fire plan by ensuring firefighting resources are adequate, continuing aggressive reduction of hazardous fuels to reduce fire risks, and maintaining support for rural community fire districts. Maintaining America's Heritage: In 2003, the BLM proposes funding of $112 million to address annual and deferred maintenance needs, and infrastructure and public land facilities improvement requirements. Management Excellence: In 2003, the BLM will carry out the Secretary's management strategy, implementing the President's five government-wide initiatives for strategic management of human capital, competitive sourcing, improved financial performance, expanded electronic government, and budget and performance integration. The BLM will also continue to stress management reforms such as expanding the "Service First" initiative, working with the Forest Service to provide efficient interagency cooperation in public lands management. The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land—261 million surface acres—than any other Federal agency. Most of the country's BLM-managed public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. These lands, once remote, now provide the growing communities of the West with open space that gives the region much of its character. The Bureau, which has a budget of $1.8 billion and a workforce of 10,000 employees, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the Nation. The BLM's "multiple use" mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The BLM accomplishes this by managing for such resources as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and energy and mineral development that helps meet the nation's energy needs, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.
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