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1 [1] (March 30, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govyuz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ~ Infor mir g the leC arv eaesne11 Updated March 30, 2019 Bureau of Land Management: FY2019 Appropriations The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages 246 million acres of land, nearly all in the West, under a multiple use mission. Uses of BLM land include livestock grazing, recreation, and preservation. The agency also administers onshore federal energy and mineral resources covering nearly 700 million acres of federal subsurface mineral estate, and it supervises the mineral operations on about 60 million acres of Indian trust lands. Issues for Congress included determining the amount of funding to provide for BLM programs and activities for FY2019, the terms and conditions of such funding, and whether to enact related Trump Administration proposals. Discretionary appropriations for BLM were enacted (P.L. 116-6, Division E) on February 15, 2019. The enacted appropriation was $1,346.2 million, a $14.3 million (1.1%) increase over the FY2018 appropriation of $1,331.9 million. The FY2019 enacted amount also was an increase of $322.9 million (31.6%) over the Administration's FY2019 request ($1,023.3 million) and of $2.8 million (0.2%) over the FY2019 Senate-passed level ($1,343.4 million), but was $40.8 million (2.9%) lower than the FY2019 House-passed amount ($1,387.0 million). These House- and Senate-passed levels were contained in H.R. 6147 (115th Congress). (See Table 1.) Because no regular FY2019 appropriations were enacted until February 15, 2019, BLM received continuing appropriations at the FY2018 level after the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2018. However, continuing appropriations lapsed during part of the fiscal year, resulting in a partial agency shutdown between December 22, 2018, and January 25, 2019. During this time, BLM operated under a contingency plan. 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 FY2019, BLM estimates its mandatory appropriations at $241.2 million. Appropriations Accounts BLM discretionary appropriations are provided through several accounts. The Administration's FY2019 request for these accounts is shown in Figure 1. For each account, Table 1 contains FY2018 enacted appropriations, and FY2019 appropriations requested by the Administration, passed by the House in H.R. 6147, passed by the Senate in H.R. 6147, and enacted in P.L. 116-6. Management of Lands and Resources. The largest account-Management of Lands and Resources- comprised 89.1% of the request. This account funds an array of BLM programs, including energy and minerals, rangelands, wild horses and burros, wildlife and fisheries, threatened and endangered species, recreation, resource protection, law enforcement, resource management planning, and facility maintenance. The Administration proposed a budget restructuring within the account to increase flexibility, cost savings, and program integration. Affected budget activities and subactivities included soil, water, and air; riparian areas; rangeland; threatened and endangered species; wildlife and fisheries; abandoned mine lands; and hazardous materials. The FY2019 enacted appropriation adopted this restructuring, as had the Senate, but not the House. The FY2019 enacted appropriation, House, and Senate included more money for this account than requested for FY2019 and enacted for FY2018. The Administration had sought a decrease for this account and most of its activities. For BLM's deferred maintenance of its assets, the FY2019 enacted appropriation was $75.0 million, a $4.2 million (5.3%) reduction from the FY2018 level of $79.2 million. The House had supported a higher level for FY2019 ($114.2 million), the Senate had approved a lower level ($59.2 million), and the President had requested a lower level ($24.9 million). BLM had estimated deferred maintenance of $955.3 million as of September 30, 2018. The President's request included $5.9 million to support a Department of the Interior (DOI) reorganization to achieve common regional boundaries for DOI agencies and to transfer some BLM functions from headquarters to the field. The intent is to improve public service, efficiency, and communication. The conference report on the FY2019 appropriation (H.Rept. 116-9) identified a total of $14.1 million for DOI reorganization related to five agencies, but did not specify the portion for BLM reorganization. Figure I. BLM FY2019 Administration-Requested Annrnnrintinnc trinlIrc in millinc} Source: Prepared by CRS with information from the House Committee on Appropriations. Not shown are rescissions totaling $12.1 million (including $6.6 million from the Land Acquisition account), and a request of $0 for Service Charges, Deposits, and Forfeitures due to a match by offsetting fees. https://crsreports.congress.go

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