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1 [1] (January 15, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govbfyv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF.ri E.$~ & Updated January 15, 2020 Bureau of Land Management: FY2020 Appropriations The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages 246 million acres of federal land, nearly all in the West. Under its multiple-use mission, BLM manages lands for diverse purposes, including livestock grazing, energy development, recreation, and preservation. The agency also administers onshore federal energy and mineral resources generally and supervises mineral operations on Indian trust lands. For FY2020, issues for Congress included determining the amount of funding to provide BLM programs and activities and the terms and conditions of such funding, as well as whether to enact related Trump Administration proposals. Because no regular FY2020 discretionary appropriations were enacted until after the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2019, BLM initially received continuing appropriations at the FY2019 level. Regular appropriations of $1,369.8 million were enacted on December 20, 2019 (P.L. 116-94, Division D). This was $23.6 million (1.8%) more than the FY2019 amount of $1,346.2 million. It also was $182.4 million (15.4%) more than the Administration's FY2020 request ($1,187.4 million) but $42.0 million (3.0%) less than the FY2020 House-passed amount ($1,411.8 million) and $29.6 million (2.1%) less than the FY2020 Senate-passed amount ($1,399.4 million). House- and Senate-passed levels were contained in H.R. 3055. BLM discretionary appropriations generally are provided in Title I of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations laws. Mandatory (permanent) appropriations also are provided to BLM under various statutes within the jurisdiction of authorizing committees. For FY2020, BLM estimated its mandatory appropriations at $201.3 million. This would be a decrease from the $241.2 million estimated for FY2019, in large part due to an anticipated reduction in receipts from the sale of BLM lands in Nevada. BLM discretionary appropriations are provided through several accounts. For each account, Figure 1 shows the Administration's FY2020 request and Table 1 contains amounts enacted for FY2019 and requested, House-passed, Senate-passed, and enacted amounts for FY2020. Management of Lands and Resources. The largest account-Management of Lands and Resources-was 89% of the Administration's request. It funds diverse programs including energy and minerals, wild horses and burros, rangelands, wildlife and fisheries, facility maintenance, resource protection, law enforcement, and recreation. Overview. The FY2020 enacted appropriation included more money for this account than requested for FY2020 and enacted for FY2019 but less than approved by the House and Senate for FY2020. The Administration sought a decrease for many programs in this account, but the FY2020 enacted appropriation generally included level or increased program funds relative to FY2019. Among other activities, increases were provided for management of wild horses and burros, renewable energy, wildlife habitat, and the National Landscape Conservation System. The FY2020 appropriations law rescinded $19.0 million in prior year unobligated funds. The House Appropriations Committee asserted that older unobligated funds are unlikely to be needed (H.Rept. 116-100, p. 13). Also, the law changed the availability of most funds in the account from no-year (available until expended) to two-year, to minimize unobligated balances and better align with operation accounts of other agencies. Reorganization. The BLM reorganization seeks to improve public service, communication, and efficiency. For FY2019, $14.1 million was appropriated for Department of the Interior (DOI) reorganization, though the BLM portion was not specified. BLM requested $7.7 million for FY2020 to foster common regional boundaries of agencies, transfer some headquarters functions outside DC, and integrate agencies' business operations. The FY2020 appropriations law did not make explicit whether funds were provided for BLM reorganization. The explanatory statement submitted for the Congressional Record asserted an insufficiency of information and directed DOI to brief the Appropriations Committees monthly on the status and impacts of the BLM reorganization. It further specified that guidelines on reprogramming of funds apply to reorganizations. Figure I. BLM FY2020 Administration-Requested ADDroDriations (dollars in millions) Source: Prepared by CRS with information from the House Appropriations Committee. Not shown are rescissions for the Land Acquisition account (-$10.0 million) and $0 for Service Charges, Deposits, and Forfeitures due to a match by offsetting collections. Land Acquisition. BLM typically receives appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire lands. To focus on maintaining current BLM lands, the Administration's FY2020 request did not include funding for particular acquisition projects or acquisitions that generally facilitate access to BLM land for recreation. The gognpo goo , q g 'S a X

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