Federal land policy in California (2024)

in California

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Public Policy
Environmental policy in the United States
Endangered species policy
Endangered species policy in the U.S.
State environmental policy
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Federal land policy involves the ownership and management of land owned by the federal government. As of 2012, the federal government owned between 635 million to 640 million acres, or 28 percent, of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Federal land is managed for many purposes, such as the conservation and development of natural resources, grazing and recreation. The federal government owns 47.70 percent of California's total land, 47,797,533 acres out of 100,206,720 total acres.

Land ownership

See also: Federal land policy and Federal land ownership by state

The federal government owned between 635 million and 640 million acres of land in 2012 (about 28 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Around 52 percent of federally owned acres were in 12 Western states—including Alaska, 61 percent of which was federally owned. In contrast, the federal government owned 4 percent of land in the other 38 states. Federal land policy is designed to manage minerals, oil and gas resources, timber, wildlife and fish, and other natural resources found on federal land. Land management policies are debated for their economic, environmental and social impacts. Additionally, the size of the federal estate and the acquisition of more federal land are major issues.^[1][2]

California is located in the Western United States. Western states typically have large amounts of land owned by the federal government compared to other states. According to the Congressional Research Service, the state of California has a total acreage of 100.2 million acres. Of that total, 47.70 percent, or 47.8 million acres, belongs to the federal government. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government increased its ownership of land in California by 1.6 million acres. The federal government owns between 635 million to 640 million acres nationwide, or 28 percent of the estimated 2.27 billion acres in the nation. Approximately 52.4 million acres in California are not owned by the federal government, which works out to an average of 1.37 acres per capita for the state's 38.3 million residents.^[1]

The table below shows federal land ownership in California compared to a neighboring state and an eastern state, as a comparison. A plurality of California's federal land (43.5 percent, or over 28.8 million acres) are owned by the U.S. Forest Service, compared to only 7.68 percent of federal land in New York.

Land usage

Recreation

National parks in California

California has 26 National Park Service units, seven national monuments, 18 national forests, 149 wilderness areas, four national recreation areas, four national historic sites, four national historic trails and one national conservation area. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 35.6 million visitors attended California's national parks and monuments and generated $1.5 billion in visitor spending in 2013.^[3]

State recreation lands

California's state parks are managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The state park system consists of 280 parks, beaches, trails, wildlife areas and other public lands. The system comprises approximately 1.59 million acres. To access a full listing of state parks, click here.^[4]

Economic activity on federal lands

Oil and gas activity

See also: BLM oil and gas leases by state

Private mining companies, including oil and natural gas companies, can apply for leases from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to explore and produce energy on federal land. The company seeking a lease must nominate the land for oil and gas exploration to the BLM, which evaluates and approves the lease. The BLM state offices make leasing decisions based on their land use plans, which contain information on the land's resources and the potential environmental impact of oil or gas exploration. If federal lands are approved for leasing, the BLM requires information about how the company will conduct its drilling and production. Afterward, the BLM will produce an environmental analysis and a list of requirements before work on the land can begin. The agency also inspects the companies' drilling and production on the leased lands.^[5]

In 2013, there were 47,427 active leases covering 36.09 million acres of federal land nationwide. Of that total, 600 leases (1.27 percent of all leases), covering 239,071 acres (0.66 percent of all leased land in 2013), were in California. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, 181 leases were in California.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

The table below shows how California compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013.

Grazing permits

See also: Grazing permits on BLM lands

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages livestock grazing on 155 million acres of its public lands. Nationally, the BLM oversees about 18,000 permits and leases that allow ranchers to graze their livestock, mostly sheep and cows, on BLM-managed lands. The permits and leases overseen by the BLM are valid for 10 years and the fees are based on the number of animals the rancher has on the land. To track these animals the BLM created what are called Animal Unit Months (AUMs), or "the amount of forage needed to sustain one cow, five sheep, or five goats for a month." Since 1954, grazing on public lands has declined, from 18.2 million AUMs to 7.9 million AUMs in 2013. Holding a grazing permit requires the applicant to own or control the property used for grazing. The applicant may also offer other privately owned property used for grazing by submitting a separate application. The terms and conditions in a grazing permit control how livestock must be used on BLM lands.^[11][12][13]

The table compares the grazing permits in the 10 states in the nation where permits are issued.^{[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]}

Payments in lieu of taxes

See also: Payments in lieu of taxes

Since local governments cannot collect taxes on federally owned property, the U.S. Department of the Interior issues payments to local governments to replace lost property tax revenue from federal land. The payments, known as "Payments in Lieu of Taxes" (PILTs), are typically used for funding services such as fire departments, police protection, school construction and roads.^[21]

The table below shows PILTs for California compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013.

Environmental policy in the 50 states

Click on a state below to read more about that state's energy policy.

See also

• 

  Environmental policy in the U.S.

  See Also

  Top 10 Most Hunter Friendly States

• 

  Energy policy in the U.S.

• 

  Endangered species policy

External links

• U.S. National Park Service
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• Congressional Research Service

Footnotes

v•e Environmental Policy
Background	Environmental policy in the United States • Clean Air Act • Clean Water Act • Conservation • Endangered Species Act • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Enforcement at the EPA • Glossary of environmental terms • Energy and environmental news
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Endangered species terms	Candidate species • Critical habitat • Delisting • Distinct population segment • Endangered species • Listed species • Listing a species • Listing petition • Species recovery • Taking a species
Environmental policy by state	Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Endangered species policy	Costs of listing a species • Delisting a species • Endangered Species Act litigation • Endangered species policy in the United States • Endangered Species Act litigation • History of the Endangered Species Act • Private property and the Endangered Species Act • Science and the Endangered Species Act • Success rate of the Endangered Species Act • Transparency and the Endangered Species Act
Endangered species policy by state	Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Environmental statistics	Payments in lieu of taxes • Land ownership by state • Grazing permits on BLM lands • Federal land ownership by state • BLM oil and gas permits by state • Environmental spending in the 50 states • Greenhouse gas emissions by state • Superfund sites in the United States • National Park Visitor Spending Effects Report
Endangered species statistics	Endangered species by state • Endangered animals by state • Endangered plants by state • Delisted species • Top 20 federally funded species • Land acquisition funding for endangered species • Federal endangered species grants by state