link to page 2 
Updated September 2, 2020
Bureau of Land Management: FY2021 Appropriations
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages 244
year funds (of $19.0 million and $17.0 million,
million acres of federal land, nearly all in the West. Under
respectively), though the allocations among activities and
its multiple-use mission, BLM manages lands for diverse
programs are not readily available. For this reason, activity
purposes, including livestock grazing, energy development,
and program comparisons in this section exclude these
recreation, and conservation. The agency also administers
general rescissions.
onshore federal energy and mineral resources generally.
The Administration proposed various changes relative to
This In Focus pertains to discretionary appropriations for
FY2020 enacted levels. Decreases included deferred
BLM, particularly appropriations under consideration for
maintenance (DM) of transportation and facilities (-39%).
FY2021 in comparison with appropriations enacted for
(See “Deferred Maintenance,” below.) Some decreases
FY2020. For FY2021, the Trump Administration requested
were supported by the House in H.R. 7608, including
$1,222.4 million for BLM. This would be a decrease of
reductions for resource management planning (-28%),
$147.5 million (-11%) from the FY2020 appropriation of
management of abandoned minelands and hazardous
$1,369.8 million (P.L. 116-94, Division D). The House-
materials (-28%), and administrative support (-12%), due to
passed bill (H.R. 7608, Division C) would provide $1,294.7
the completion of organizational changes to new, unified
million for FY2021. This would be a decrease of $75.1
DOI regions, according to BLM. Other decreases proposed
million (-5%) from the FY2020 enacted level but $72.4
by the Administration were not supported by the House,
million (6%) higher than the President’s request.
such as rangeland management (-11%) and wildlife and
aquatic habitat management (-38%), for activities
BLM discretionary appropriations generally are provided in
pertaining to threatened and endangered species, habitat
Title I of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
restoration, and sagebrush conservation, among others.
appropriations laws. Mandatory (permanent) appropriations
also are provided to BLM under various statutes within the
The Administration’s FY2021 request contained additional
jurisdiction of authorizing committees. For FY2021, BLM
funds for some programs, including wild horse and burro
estimated its mandatory appropriations at $102.6 million.
management (+15%). The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and
This would be a decrease from the $298.7 million estimated
Burros Act of 1971 (16 U.S.C. §§1331 et seq.) provides for
for FY2020, largely due to an anticipated reduction in
management and protection of wild horses and burros on
receipts from BLM land sales in Nevada and a proposal to
BLM (and Forest Service) lands. As of March 2020, the
cancel unobligated balances from prior sales.
number of wild horses and burros on BLM land was
95,114, more than triple the appropriate management level
For FY2021, issues for Congress include determining the
(26,770). Another 47,725 animals were being cared for off-
amount of funding to provide BLM accounts and activities
range in pastures and corrals as of May 2020. The
and the terms and conditions of such funding, as well as
Administration sought appropriations to care for animals
whether to enact related Trump Adminis tration proposals.
off-range, pursue sales and adoptions, and expand methods
of population control, among other activities. The House
Appropriations Accounts
supported a smaller increase (+1%). In report language, the
BLM discretionary appropriations are provided through
House Appropriations Committee indicated that it is
several accounts. For each account, Table 1 shows amounts
seeking a “well-defined action plan” for BLM management
enacted for FY2020, requested by the Administration for
of wild horses and burros (H.Rept. 116-448, p. 12).
FY2021, and passed by the House for FY2021.
The Administration also proposed additional funds for coal
Management of Lands and Resources. The largest
management (+19%) to improve coal leasing, permitting,
account—Management of Lands and Resources—funds
and inspections. The House did not support the increase.
diverse programs including energy and minerals, wild
Appropriations for cadastral, lands, and realty management
horses and burros, rangelands, wildlife and fisheries,
would increase (+7%) under both the request and H.R.
facility maintenance, resource protection, law enforcement,
7608. The additional funding for this program—which
and recreation.
performs cadastral surveys, manages rights-of-way, and
implements changes to land ownership—was intended to
For FY2021, the Administration sought $1,078.5 million
facilitate broadband infrastructure on BLM lands.
for this account, a decrease of $118.7 million (-10%) from
FY2020 ($1,197.2 million). H.R. 7608 contained $1,165.1
Land Acquisition. BLM typically receives appropriations
million for the account, a decrease of $32.1 million (3%)
from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to
from FY2020. Both the FY2020 appropriation and H.R.
acquire lands. To focus on maintaining current BLM lands,
7608 contained general rescissions from unobligated prior-
the Administration’s FY2021 request did not include
https://crsreports.congress.gov
link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 Bureau of Land Management: FY2021 Appropriations
funding for particular acquisition projects. The
Miscellaneous Trust Funds. This account appropriates
Administration requested $3.0 million for acquisitions that
contributions made to BLM from individuals, businesses,
generally facilitate access to BLM land for recreation. The
user groups, and states. The FY2021 requested and House-
overall request was -$5.0 million, reflecting a rescission of
passed level of $26.0 million was equal to the FY2020
unobligated funds. The FY2020 appropriation ($29.9
enacted appropriation.
million) provided funding for eight individual acquisition
projects and recreational access generally. H.R. 7608 did
Legislative Proposals by the Administration
not contain land acquisition funding, with the expectation
In the FY2021 request, the Trump Administration proposed
of mandatory funding (from the LWCF) under the Great
extending or amending some authorities and enacting new
American Outdoors Act (GAOA; P.L. 116-152). The bill
ones. Some of these proposals are discussed below.
included a rescission of $2.0 million in prior-year funds.
Deferred Maintenance. BLM estimated its DM at $955.3
Oregon and California Grant Lands. This account funds
million in FY2018, mostly for roads , bridges, and trails.
management of more than 2 million acres of forested lands
The Administration sought $45.5 million for BLM’s DM
in western Oregon, primarily for timber production. For
needs in FY2021, and the House-passed bill included $60.5
FY2021, the Administration and the House sought differing
million, both less than the $75.0 million appropriated for
increases over the FY2020 appropriation of $112.1 million,
FY2020. However, the Administration also proposed
as shown in Table 1. In report language, the House
establishing a new fund with mandatory appropriations for
Appropriations Committee expressed concern about
DM of BLM and other agencies. Subsequently, the GAOA
disparities in timber targets and timber awarded and
established such a fund, beginning in FY2021.
harvested in some areas (H.Rept. 116-448, p. 16).
Energy and Minerals. The FY2021 request proposed
Range Improvements. The Range Improvements account
altering the distribution of revenues from geothermal
funds rehabilitation, protection, and improvement of BLM
leasing on federal lands—currently 50% to the states, 25%
rangelands. The FY2021 requested and House-passed level
to the Treasury, and 25% to counties—to a distribution of
was $10.0 million, the same as the FY2020 enacted level.
50% for states and 50% for the Treasury. According to the
Under law, 50% of grazing fees collected on BLM lands, or
Administration, the change would foster consistency with
$10.0 million—whichever is greater—are credited to a
other revenue-sharing programs and increase the return to
Range Improvement Fund. Through the Range
the public. Some counties favor the status quo to reflect
Improvements account, BLM typically receives an annual
their energy investments and enhance funds for services.
appropriation of $10.0 million for the fund.
The House-passed bill did not include this change.
Service Charges, Deposits, and Forfeitures. This account
Recreation. The authority in the Federal Lands Recreation
allows BLM to use monies paid to the agency for particular
Enhancement Act (FLREA, 16 U.S.C. §§6801 et seq.),
activities, such as costs of processing rights-of-way and
which allows BLM (and other agencies) to charge, collect,
energy and mineral authorizations. The FY2021 amount
and use fees for recreation on agency lands, is set to expire
proposed by the Administration and passed by the House
on October 1, 2021. As part of the FY2021 budget request,
was offset entirely by collections, as was the case for the
the Administration supported permanent authority through
FY2020 enacted amount. H.R. 7608 also included a
authorizing legislation, while also seeking a two-year
rescission of $20.0 million in unobligated funds from
extension (to September 30, 2023) in appropriations law.
FY2015 and earlier fiscal years.
H.R. 7608 included a one-year program extension (to
October 1, 2022). In FY2019, BLM retained $27.2 million
in recreation fee collections under FLREA.
Table 1. BLM Discretionary Appropriations by Account (dollars in millions)
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Account
Enacted
Request
House Passed
Management of Lands and Resources
$1,197.2
$1,078.5
$1,165.1
Land Acquisition
29.9
-5.0
-2.0
Oregon and California Grant Lands
112.1
112.8
115.6
Range Improvements
10.0
10.0
10.0
Service Charges, Deposits, and Forfeituresa
0
0
-20.0
Miscel aneous Trust Funds
26.0
26.0
26.0
Total BLM
$1,369.8b
$1,222.4
$1,294.7
Source: CRS, with information from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
Notes: n/a = not applicable. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.
a.
The amounts of $0 for Service Charges, Deposits, and Forfeitures are a result of an appropriation matched by offsetting fees.
b. FY2020 enacted total reflects rescissions of $5.4 mil ion of unobligated Construction funds not shown in table.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Bureau of Land Management: FY2021 Appropriations
Carol Hardy Vincent, Specialist in Natural Resources
Policy
IF11590
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permissio n of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11590 · VERSION 3 · UPDATED