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 payments are being sent three months earlier to help local governments budget for their fiscal years, many of which begin July 1.

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

Congress appropriates funds for PILT payments to eligible units of local government each year. The 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 PILT 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 PILT program began in 1977, the BLM has distributed more than $2.7 billion.

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

The 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. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of subsurface federal minerals throughout the nation. The BLM has an annual budget of about $1.2 billion and a workforce of about 9,000 employees.

2002 PILT Payments by State

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