Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act Restrictions and ...

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Memorandum of Understanding Implements FLTFA Proposed Amendments to FLTFA FLTFA also limits land acquisitions to land within and adjacent to federally designated areas, such as national parks, national forests, and national conservation areas. While most lands managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, and the Park Service are federally designated areas, many of the lands managed by BLM are not federally designated areas; therefore, acquisitions within undesignated lands would not qualify under FLTFA. Furthermore, FLTFA requires that the Secretaries establish a procedure to identify and set priorities for acquiring inholdings. As part of this process, it called for the Secretaries to consider (1) the date the inholding was established, (2) the extent to which the acquisition would facilitate management efficiency, and (3) other criteria identified by the Secretaries. The act also requires a public notice be published in the Federal Register detailing the procedures for identifying inholdings and setting priorities for them and other information about the program. To improve FLTFA implementation, the four agencies signed a national MOU. Among other things, the MOU established a Land Transaction Facilitation Council, which consists of the heads of the four agencies and the U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget to oversee the implementation and coordination of activities undertaken pursuant to the MOU. The MOU also directed the agencies to establish state-level implementation plans that would establish roles and responsibilities, procedures for interagency coordination, and field-level processes for identifying land acquisition recommendations and setting priorities for these recommendations. The Administration has proposed revising and extending the act. Specifically, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s fiscal year 2007 and 2008 budgets included proposals to allow BLM to use updated land use plans to identify areas suitable for disposal, allow a portion of receipts to be used by BLM for restoration projects, require BLM to return 70 percent of net proceeds from eligible sales to the U.S. Treasury, and Page 13 GAO-08-196 Federal Land Management
BLM Has Raised Most FLTFA Revenue from Land Sales in Nevada BLM Has Raised $95.7 Million from FLTFA Land Sales, Primarily in Two Nevada Field Offices cap retention of receipts at $60 million per year. In addition, the U.S. Department of the Interior called for Congress to extend the FLTFA program to 2018. Since FLTFA was enacted in 2000, BLM has raised $95.7 million in revenue, mostly by selling 16,659 acres. As of May 2007, about 92 percent of the revenue raised, or $88 million, has come from land sales in Nevada—1 of the 11 western states under FLTFA. Nevada accounts for most of the sales because of rapidly expanding population centers coupled with a high percentage of BLM land in the state and experience selling land under the SNPLMA program. Most BLM field offices have not generated revenue under FLTFA. Between July 2000 and May 2007, BLM raised $95.7 million in revenue for selling 16,659 acres, according to data verified by BLM state offices. In addition, the BLM Division of Business Services reports exchange equalization payments totaling $3.4 million. Nevada has accounted for the great majority of the sales. As of May 2007, about 92 percent of the revenue raised, or $88 million, has come from land transactions in Nevada. More specifically, the Carson City and Las Vegas field offices generated a total of $86.2 million, or 90 percent of all revenue generated under FLTFA, mostly through a few competitive sales. For example, the Carson City Field Office raised $39.1 million through 3 sales and Las Vegas Field Office raised $33.6 million through 7 sales. Table 1 shows the state-by-state totals of sales revenue generated, acres sold, and number of sales. See appendix II for a listing of completed sales BLM state offices have reported to us. Page 14 GAO-08-196 Federal Land Management
Page 1 and 2: GAO February 2008 GAO-08-196 United
Page 3 and 4: Contents Letter 1 Results in Brief
Page 5 and 6: Abbreviations BLM Bureau of Land Ma
Page 7 and 8: providing security, and protecting
Page 9 and 10: evenue to acquire specific parcels
Page 11 and 12: BLM faces several challenges to rai
Page 13 and 14: Background Federal Land Sales Autho
Page 15 and 16: Federal Land Acquisition Funding ti
Page 17: FLTFA Requirements on Use of Revenu
Page 21 and 22: Figure 3: FLTFA Revenue by Fiscal Y
Page 23 and 24: BLM Faces Several Challenges to Fut
Page 25 and 26: Most BLM States Have Planned FLTFA
Page 27 and 28: Figure 5: BLM “North Fork” 167-
Page 29 and 30: FLTFA’s Restriction on Land Avail
Page 31 and 32: Agencies Have Purchased Few Parcels
Page 33 and 34: Table 4: Status of FLTFA Land Acqui
Page 35 and 36: Figure 7: Part of an Inholding in t
Page 37 and 38: Agency State Federally designated a
Page 39 and 40: The nomination that was withdrawn b
Page 41 and 42: State-Level Process Has Not Yet Res
Page 43 and 44: BLM Reports Spending $3.2 Million o
Page 45 and 46: Agencies Face Challenges in Complet
Page 47 and 48: Compliance with Specific Provisions
Page 49 and 50: The Agencies Have Yet to Establish
Page 51 and 52: Matters for Congressional Considera
Page 53 and 54: If you or your staff have questions
Page 55 and 56: Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and
Page 57 and 58: Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and
Page 59 and 60: Appendix II: Completed FLTFA Land S
Page 69 and 70:
Appendix III: Detailed Information
Page 71 and 72:
Appendix III: Detailed Information
Page 73 and 74:
Appendix IV: Comments from the Depa
Page 75 and 76:
Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff A
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