Federal Lands and Related Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 118th Congress

The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. The 118th Congress faces multiple policy issues related to federal lands and the natural, cultural, and historical resources they contain. 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 607 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 government also manages the federal mineral estate, consisting of federal mineral rights onshore and offshore. BLM manages the 714 million acres of the onshore 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 56 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. Congress has considered many broad themes and issues 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 questions pertain to the levels, terms, and types of funding provided for federal land management generally. Further 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. Additional policy questions involve how federal land should be used and managed. Congress has specified in statute the management mission and authorized uses for 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 considers 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. Other questions of interest pertain to the identification, evaluation, documentation, and treatment of cultural and historic resources. Additional issues of debate include whether, how, or how much 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.