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1 1 (February 21, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/govchux0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF.ri E~$~ & February 21, 2018 Federal and Indian Lands on the U.S.-Mexico Border The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres of land, about 28% of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. In addition, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), in the Department of the Interior (DOI), is responsible for administering another 55 million acres held in trust for American Indians, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives. Congress faces diverse issues pertaining to the management, development, and protection of federal and Indian lands. Federal and Indian lands on the border between the United States and Mexico present unique challenges due to the remoteness and topography of the lands, length of the border, extent of federal and Indian lands, and differences in missions of managing agencies. These challenges are particularly at issue during congressional consideration of proposals to secure the nation's borders against terrorists and illegal entry of persons and goods, including through construction of fences and other barriers. Questions include how to facilitate access to these lands that allows for efforts to enhance border security while at the same time protecting natural and cultural resources and addressing environmental damage related to illegal cross-border activities. This CRS In Focus provides an estimate of total linear miles of federal and Indian land on the southwestern border. It also identifies the portions of these lands managed by each federal agency in each of the four states along the border-Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. For an overview of federal land ownership, see CRS Report R42346, Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data, by Carol Hardy Vincent, Laura A. Hanson, and Carla N. Argueta. For an overview of natural resource policy and management issues related to federal lands, see CRS Report R43429, Federal Lands and Related Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 115th Congress, coordinated by Katie Hoover. Di 1H i,a, g \,,, t , m. a . ,., There is no single, authoritative estimate of linear miles of federal and Indian lands on the U.S. border with Mexico. Instead, widely differing estimates have been reported in recent years, depending on the objectives established, sources consulted, and approaches used. Past estimates have included 632 miles (Government Accountability Office, or GAO), 648 miles (U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS), and 820 miles (DOI). For some of these estimates, there is insufficient information publicly available to determine how they were prepared and why they differ. A variety of factors can affect federal land estimates and likely account for much of the variation in reported estimates of federal and Indian border mileage. One factor is the breadth of agencies reflected, specifically whether all or a subset of federal lands are captured. Similarly, some estimates might include Indian lands with the estimate of federal lands. Another factor is the source(s) used. Major geographic information system (GIS) sources of federal and Indian lands include the National Atlas, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), and the U.S. Census (for Indian lands only). These sources reflect land ownership as of differing dates, and they vary in terms of precision and scale, among other variables. In addition, there are differing sources of GIS data from which the international border can be derived, and these sources can result in varying calculations of border length. It is sometimes unclear from GIS sources whether federal or Indian lands are on the border or are located instead in close proximity to the border. In these cases, differing judgments could be made as to the inclusion of these areas. Further, some estimates may seek to capture only lands on the border whereas others might also seek to reflect lands in close proximity (e.g., within one mile of the border). Variation in border mileage estimates also occurs based on the extent to which water features on the border are reflected in addition to land areas. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, federal areas that contain sizeable areas of water include two areas in Texas: Amistad National Recreation Area (National Park Service, or NPS), consisting of the U.S. portion of the International Amistad Reservoir, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Fish and Wildlife Service), located at the southern tip of Texas where the Rio Grande flows into the Gulf of Mexico. C S Etmaue CRS estimates 693 miles of both federal and Indian land on the border, representing approximately 35% of the 1,965 miles on the southern international border. These lands are administered by a total of seven agencies. Six of the seven agencies manage federal lands. They are the NPS, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), all in DOI; the Forest Service, in the Department of Agriculture; and the Department of Defense. The seventh agency, BIA, is the primary federal agency charged with carrying out the U.S. trust responsibility to American Indians, as noted, and thus Indian lands are reflected herein under BIA. These seven agencies manage differing amounts of land on the border, ranging from 10.1 miles for BOR to 195.1 miles for NPS. Of the four states, the most federally managed border mileage is in Arizona (298.5 miles) and the least is .O 'T p\w -- , gn'a', goo mppm qq\ a , q 'S I 11LIANJILiN,

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