BLM Outlines Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Priorities

Top Priorities Include aBLMFoundation, Oil and Gas Inspection Fees, Wild HorsesFertility Control, Online Data and Mapping, and Sage-Grouse Habitat

Washington, D.C. – Among the Bureau of Land Management’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget priorities in President Obama’s requested $1.1 billion for the agency are a non-profit foundation, a fee system to coverBLM’s oil and gas inspection and enforcement activities,fertility controlfor wild horses and burros, an updated online data and mapping system, and Sage-Grouse habitat conservation.

“TheBLMcarries a great responsibility in its stewardship of roughly 10 percent of the nation’s land. We strive each day to strike the right balance under our multiple use and sustained yield mandate,”BLMPrincipal Deputy Director Neil Kornze said. “We are proud to be working with partners all across the country on critical and complex issues like Sage-Grouse conservation, responsible energy development, and landscape-level management. Our key initiatives for FY 2015 reflect our focus on laying a solid foundation for the future.”

Testifying at a congressional hearing before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Kornze also noted that theBLMgenerates roughly $150 billion annually in economic output for the nation and supports more than 750,000 jobs through resource development and conservation and recreational activities onBLM-managed public lands.

FY 2015 Priorities

BLM Foundation

The President’s budget calls for the authorization of a congressionally chartered non-profitBLMFoundation that would provide the agency with new avenues for working with the public on critical programs and landscapes. TheBLMis the only major land management agency without a congressionally chartered foundation in place to support its efforts. ABLMFoundation could help bring additional resources to key initiatives like the National Conservation Lands, wild horses and burro management, restoration projects, and many other areas.

Inspection and Enforcement Fee

In support of responsible development and oversight of energy management, the budget includes the creation of a fee system to cover theBLM’s inspection and enforcement activities in the oil and gas program. In 2010Congressestablished a similar fee system to support offshore oil and gas inspections. This program would allow theBLMto improve production accountability and serve areas with high or growing oil and gas production more effectively.

Fertility Control for Wild Horses and Burros

The budget calls for an increase of $2.8 million for the Wild Horse and Burro program that would allow theBLMto continue multi-year studies focused on the development of more effective and longer-lastingfertility controlagents and techniques. It would also further theBLM’s implementation of the National Academy of Sciences recommendations made in 2013.

Generational Leap Forward in Online Data and Mapping

TheBLMis seeking to take a major step forward in developing and using a simple, easy-to-use online interface where the public, industry, andBLM’s employees and partners can find critical information about the landscapes we manage.

Sage-Grouse Conservation

The budget request maintains funding for theBLM’s Sage-Grouse initiative, which will allow theBLMto take critical steps towards long-term conservation of the West’s sagebrush ecosystems that are critical to sage grouse and other species. In Fiscal Year 2015, theBLMwill complete a west-wide planning effort focused on sage grouse that has been undertaken in close partnership with western states, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“TheBLMremains an excellent investment for America,” he said. “Our goal with these priorities is to help ensure that thepublic landsremain a lasting legacy for generations to come.”

Originally Posted By Messenger Index