Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2024 Appropriations

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2024 Appropriations

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies:
June 10, 2024
Overview of FY2024 Appropriations
Carol Hardy Vincent
The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill—often called the Interior
Specialist in Natural
bill—contains funding for about three dozen agencies and entities. Funded entities include most
Resources Policy
of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and agencies within other departments, such as the Forest

Service (Department of Agriculture) and the Indian Health Service (Department of Health and
Human Services). The bill also provides funding for the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA), arts and cultural agencies, and other organizations and entities. Perennial issues for
Congress include determining the amount, terms, and conditions of funding for agencies and programs.
From the start of FY2024 on October 1, 2023, until March 9, 2024, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies were funded
at FY2023 levels, with certain exceptions, under continuing appropriations resolutions.
P.L. 118-42, Division E, enacted on March 9, 2024, contained a total appropriation of $41.33 billion for the Interior bill for
FY2024. This total included $2.65 billion for certain wildfire suppression activities under an adjustment to the discretionary
spending limit for FY2024. It also reflected $563.0 million in rescissions, including $534.0 million in Title IV of the law.
The $41.33 billion was broken out unevenly across the three major titles in the FY2024 Interior bill, as is typically the case.
DOI agencies in Title I received $15.14 billion. EPA, funded in Title II of the bill, received $9.16 billion. For about two
dozen agencies and other entities funded in Title III, the FY2024 appropriations law contained $17.56 billion. Additionally,
Title IV contained rescissions of $534.0 million. Of the total FY2024 appropriation, nearly three-quarters ($30.34 billion)
was for five agencies: EPA, Forest Service, Indian Health Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service for FY2025 were included in the FY2024 appropriations law, House-
passed bill, and Senate committee-reported bill, but not in the President’s request. The FY2023 appropriations law included
advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service for FY2024.
The FY2024 enacted appropriation of $41.33 billion was $5.27 billion lower than the FY2023 enacted appropriation. As
compared with the FY2023 enacted appropriations, the FY2024 law included $40.8 million more for DOI agencies, $976.5
million less for EPA, and $3.80 billion less for related agencies. The FY2024 enacted appropriation of $41.33 billion also
was $4.65 billion less than the President’s request for FY2024, $12.48 billion more than the House-passed amount for
FY2024, and $1.53 billion less than included in the Senate Appropriations committee-reported bill for FY2024.
Issues affecting comparisons between the FY2023 and FY2024 enacted appropriations and other FY2024 amounts relate to
advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service and rescissions of appropriations, among other matters. With regard to
the Indian Health Service, for example, the FY2023 appropriation in this report reflects the entirety of new funding for one
fiscal year—FY2023—as well as partial funding for FY2024 through advance funding. By contrast, the FY2024 amounts do
not reflect the entirety of funding for one fiscal year. Rather, they reflect new funding for FY2024 but not the advance
funding provided in the FY2023 law. The FY2024 law, House-passed bill, and Senate committee-reported bill also reflect
advance funding for FY2025.
With regard to rescissions, the total FY2023 and FY2024 Interior bill appropriations in this report reflect rescissions of prior
year appropriations. As an example, the FY2024 House-passed total ($28.84 billion) reflects rescissions in H.R. 4821 that
total $9.37 billion. These rescissions are treated as an offset to new appropriations in the bill, resulting in a total appropriation
of $28.84 billion. A comparison of new appropriations only would reduce the differences among FY2023 enacted
appropriations and FY2024 amounts.
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Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2024 Appropriations

Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, by Major Title, FY2023-FY2024

Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
Notes: In general, amounts reflected in the figure represent regular annual appropriations for the pertinent fiscal year (FY2023 or
FY2024), rescissions of prior year appropriations, and advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service (in Title III). More
specifically, the FY2023 enacted amount reflects rescissions of $42.7 million, including $13.3 million in Title II and $29.4 million in
Title III. The FY2024 House-passed total of $28.84 billion reflects $9.37 billion in rescissions in Title IV. The FY2024 Senate
Appropriations committee-reported total of $42.86 billion reflects rescissions of $466.0 million, including $14.5 million in Title I,
$1.5 million in Title II, and $450.0 million in Title IV. The FY2024 enacted total of $41.33 billion reflects rescissions of $563.0 million,
including $27.5 million in Title I, $1.5 million in Title II, and $534.0 million in Title IV.

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Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Overview of FY2024 Legislative Action ........................................................................................ 1
Brief Comparison of FY2023 and FY2024 Interior Appropriations ............................................... 3
Overview of Agencies in the Bill .................................................................................................... 5
Title I. Department of the Interior ............................................................................................. 5
Title II. Environmental Protection Agency ............................................................................... 8
Title III. Related Agencies......................................................................................................... 8

Figures
Figure 1. Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, by Major Title,
FY2023-FY2024 .......................................................................................................................... 4

Tables
Table 1. Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: FY2023-FY2024 Appropriations .............. 9

Contacts
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 12

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Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2024 Appropriations

Introduction
This report focuses on FY2024 discretionary appropriations for Interior, Environment, and
Related Agencies. Issues for Congress include determining the amount of funding for agencies
and programs in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill—often
called the Interior bill—and the terms and conditions of such funding.
This report focuses on the regular (annual) appropriations for the Interior bill. It first presents a
short overview of FY2024 legislative action. It next provides a brief comparison of FY2023
enacted appropriations and FY2024 appropriations requested by President Biden, included in
H.R. 4821 as passed by the House, included in S. 2625 as reported by the Senate Committee on
Appropriations,1 and enacted into law. The report then provides an overview of the agencies and
other entities funded in the Interior bill. Finally, the report contains a table showing
appropriations by agency/entity for FY2023 enacted, FY2024 requested, FY2024 House-passed,
FY2024 Senate Appropriations committee-reported, and FY2024 enacted. Agency and bill totals
in this report generally reflect rescissions. In general, this report does not detail mandatory,
supplemental, and advance appropriations.2
Appropriations are complex. Budget justifications for some agencies are large (often hundreds of
pages long) and contain numerous funding, programmatic, and legislative changes for
congressional consideration. Further, appropriations laws provide funds for numerous accounts,
activities, and sub-activities, and their accompanying explanatory statements provide additional
directives and other important information. This report does not provide in-depth information at
the agency, account, and subaccount levels, nor does it generally detail budgetary reorganizations
or legislative changes proposed or enacted for FY2024. For information on a particular agency or
on individual accounts, programs, or activities administered by a particular agency, see the
Congressional Research Service (CRS) products provided in footnotes throughout this report or
contact the key policy staff listed at the end of this report.3 In addition, selected reports related to
appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, such as individual agencies (e.g.,
National Park Service) or crosscutting programs (e.g., Wildland Fire Management), are listed
under “Interior & Environment Appropriations” on the “Appropriations” Issue Area page on the
CRS website.4
Overview of FY2024 Legislative Action
For FY2024, President Biden requested $45.98 billion for the roughly three dozen agencies and
entities funded in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. This total

1 The accompanying committee report was U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Department of the
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2024, report to accompany S. 2605, 118th Cong., 1st
sess., S.Rept. 118-83, July 27, 2023 (hereinafter cited as S.Rept. 118-83).
2 As examples, this report excludes emergency supplemental appropriations (e.g., $6.15 billion in FY2023 for disaster
relief in Division N, Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, of P.L. 117-328, the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2023); advance and emergency advance appropriations (e.g., in Division J, Appropriations, of P.L.
117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act); and mandatory appropriations under authorizing statutes, such as
under P.L. 116-152, the Great American Outdoors Act, which provided mandatory appropriations for the Land and
Water Conservation Fund and deferred maintenance of federal land management agencies and the Bureau of Indian
Education.
3 This report provides in footnotes the most recent CRS products covering appropriations for agencies in the Interior
bill.
4 The “Interior & Environment Appropriations” subissue page is on the CRS website at https://www.crs.gov/iap/
appropriations (under “All Subissues”).
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included $2.65 billion for certain wildfire suppression activities under an adjustment to
discretionary spending limits for FY2024. Under law, an adjustment can be made to discretionary
spending limits to accommodate enacted funding for wildfire suppression.5 For FY2024, $2.65
billion was the maximum. The total also contained $4.15 billion for the Indian Health Service,6 of
which $1.20 billion was for two accounts that the President proposed to make mandatory
spending.7 The request did not contain advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service for
FY2025.
On November 3, 2023, the House passed H.R. 4821 with $28.84 billion for Interior, Environment,
and Related Agencies. This total included $2.65 billion for wildfire suppression under the
discretionary cap adjustment, as requested by the President. This total also included $7.83 billion
for the Indian Health Service, reflecting $5.88 billion in FY2025 advance appropriations for the
agency.8 In earlier action, on July 24, 2023, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R.
4821, with $28.88 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies in FY2024.9
On July 27, 2023, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 2605, with $42.86 billion for
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for FY2024.10 (Hereinafter, this bill typically is
referred to as the Senate committee-reported bill.) The Senate committee-reported total included
$2.65 billion for wildfire suppression under the cap adjustment, identical to the President’s
request and the House-passed bill. This total also included $7.28 billion for the Indian Health
Service, of which $5.23 billion was FY2025 advance appropriations for the agency.
On March 9, 2024, the President signed into law a measure containing $41.33 billion for Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies for FY2024. These appropriations were contained in
Division E, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
2024, of P.L. 118-42, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. This total included $2.65 billion
for wildfire suppression under the discretionary cap adjustment, as had been proposed by the
President and included in House-passed and Senate committee-reported measures for FY2024.

5 This authority is contained in Division O, the Wildfire Suppression Funding and Forest Management Activities Act,
of P.L. 115-141, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. The adjustment may not exceed specified amounts for
each of FY2020-FY2027. For information on discretionary spending limits, see CRS In Focus IF10647, The Budget
Resolution and the Budget Control Act’s Discretionary Spending Limits, by Megan S. Lynch; CRS Report R44874, The
Budget Control Act: Frequently Asked Questions, by Grant A. Driessen and Megan S. Lynch; and CRS Report R45778,
Exceptions to the Budget Control Act’s Discretionary Spending Limits, by Megan S. Lynch, especially the “Wildfire
Suppression” section. For a discussion of the cap adjustment for wildfire suppression, see CRS In Focus IF12398,
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2024 Appropriations for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior, by
Anne A. Riddle, and CRS Report R46583, Federal Wildfire Management: Ten-Year Funding Trends and Issues
(FY2011-FY2020), by Anne A. Riddle.
6 See S.Rept. 118-83, p. 218.
7 The two accounts are Contract Support Costs and Payments for Tribal Leases. See S.Rept. 118-83, p. 217. Also, the
President’s FY2024 budget request for the Indian Health Service contains discussion in several places on mandatory
appropriations for the agency. See U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service, Fiscal Year
2024, Indian Health Service, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees, at https://www.ihs.gov/sites/
budgetformulation/themes/responsive2017/display_objects/documents/FY2024-IHS-CJ32223.pdf.
8 For information on advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service, see CRS Insight IN12087, Advance
Appropriations for the Indian Health Service (IHS), by Elayne J. Heisler and Jessica Tollestrup, and CRS Report
R46265, Advance Appropriations for the Indian Health Service: Issues and Options for Congress, by Elayne J. Heisler
and Kate P. McClanahan.
9 The accompanying committee report was U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Department of the
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2024, report to accompany H.R. 4821, 118th Cong.,
1st sess., H.Rept. 118-155, July 24, 2023 (hereinafter cited as H.Rept. 118-155).
10 As noted, the accompanying Senate committee report was S.Rept. 118-83.
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This total also included $7.02 billion for the Indian Health Service, including $5.19 billion in
advance appropriations for the agency for FY2025.
As FY2024 appropriations had not been enacted at the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2023,
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies received appropriations for FY2024 under
continuing resolutions (CRs) that in general provided appropriations at FY2023 levels.11
However, the CRs contained certain exceptions, for instance, for wildland firefighter management
and pay.12 The fourth CR, P.L. 118-40, provided funding for agencies in the Interior bill through
March 22, 2024, unless different levels of appropriations were enacted earlier. Full year
appropriations were enacted on March 9, 2024.
Brief Comparison of FY2023 and FY2024 Interior
Appropriations
Different methods of comparing Interior appropriations would lead to varying dollar and
percentage differences between FY2023 enacted and FY2024 appropriations. Using one
comparative approach (discussed below), FY2023 enacted appropriations for Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies were higher than FY2024 appropriations requested by the
President, passed by the House (in H.R. 4821), reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee
(in S. 2605), and enacted into law. Specifically, the FY2023 appropriation was $614.3 million
higher than the FY2024 President’s request, $17.75 billion higher than the FY2024 House-passed
level, $3.74 billion higher than the FY2024 Senate committee-reported total, and $5.27 billion
more than enacted for FY2024. Figure 1 and Table 1 detail this comparison.
Issues affecting comparisons of the two fiscal years, and comparisons among FY2024 amounts,
relate to advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service and rescissions of appropriations,
among other matters. With regard to the Indian Health Service, the FY2023 appropriation in this
report ($12.06 billion) reflects new appropriations for FY2023 ($6.96 billion) and advance
appropriations for FY2024 ($5.13 billion) that were enacted in the FY2023 appropriations law, as
well as a rescission of $29.4 million.13 The FY2024 President’s request ($4.15 billion) did not
include advance appropriations for FY2025.14 The FY2024 House-passed level ($7.83 billion),
Senate committee-reported level ($7.28 billion), and enacted level ($7.02 billion) in this report
reflect new appropriations for FY2024 and advance appropriations for FY2025. Further, the
FY2023 enacted amount for the Indian Health Service is higher than the FY2024 levels in large
part because FY2023 was the first year for which advance appropriations (for FY2024) were
provided. Accordingly, the FY2023 enacted amount reflects the entirety of funding for one fiscal
year—FY2023—as well as partial funding for FY2024 (i.e., the advance funding). By contrast,
the FY2024 amounts in this report do not reflect the entirety of funding for one fiscal year.15

11 The first continuing resolution, P.L. 118-15, was in effect through November 17, 2023. The second continuing
resolution, P.L. 118-22, was in effect through February 2, 2024, for agencies in the Interior bill. The third continuing
resolution, P.L. 118-35, was in effect through March 8, 2024, for agencies in the Interior bill. The fourth continuing
resolution, P.L. 118-40, extended continuing appropriations through March 22, 2024.
12 Such exceptions often are referred to as anomalies. For a discussion of the exceptions in the first continuing
resolution related to agencies in the Interior bill (as well as other appropriations bills), see CRS Report R47749,
Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2024 (Division A of P.L. 118-15), by Drew C. Aherne.
13 S.Rept. 118-83, p. 218.
14 Ibid., p. 218.
15 This is the case because the FY2024 House-passed, Senate committee-reported, and enacted levels in this report
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Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2024 Appropriations

Figure 1. Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, by Major
Title, FY2023-FY2024

Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
Notes: In general, amounts reflected in the figure represent regular annual appropriations for the pertinent fiscal
year (FY2023 or FY2024), rescissions of prior year appropriations, and advance appropriations for the Indian
Health Service (in Title III). More specifically, the FY2023 enacted amount reflects rescissions of $42.7 million,
including $13.3 million in Title II and $29.4 million in Title III. The FY2024 House-passed total of $28.84 billion
reflects $9.37 billion in rescissions in Title IV. The FY2024 Senate Appropriations committee-reported total of
$42.86 billion reflects rescissions of $466.0 million, including $14.5 million in Title I, $1.5 million in Title II, and
$450.0 million in Title IV. The FY2024 enacted total of $41.33 billion reflects rescissions of $563.0 million,
including $27.5 million in Title I, $1.5 million in Title II, and $534.0 million in Title IV.
With regard to rescissions, the total FY2023 and FY2024 Interior bill appropriations in this report
reflect rescissions of prior year appropriations. The FY2024 House-passed total ($28.84 billion)
contained the largest amount. It included $9.37 billion in rescissions in several sections of Title
IV of H.R. 4821 and another reduction in Title IV, totaling $9.39 billion.16 The rescissions
pertained to a greenhouse gas reduction fund, environmental and climate justice grants, the
Council on Environmental Quality, and the National Park Service. They are treated as an offset to
new appropriations in the bill. A comparison of new appropriations only would reduce the
difference between the FY2024 amounts in this report and the FY2023 enacted level.17

reflect new appropriations for FY2024 but not the advance appropriations for FY2024 that were included in the
FY2023 appropriation law. Also, the House-passed, Senate committee-reported, and enacted levels in this report reflect
advance appropriations for FY2025. Congress is likely to consider whether to also provide new appropriations for
FY2025 as part of the regular, annual Interior appropriations law for FY2025.
16 H.Rept. 118-155, p. 259, shows $9.37 billion in rescissions. In addition, Title IV of the House-passed bill included
another reduction from outer continental shelf receipts, for a total of $9.39 billion.
17 Rescissions also are reflected in the FY2023 enacted, FY2024 Senate committee-reported, and FY2024 enacted
totals in this report. Specifically, the FY2023 enacted amount reflects rescissions totaling $42.7 million, consisting of
$13.3 million in Title II for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and $29.4 million in Title III for the Indian
Health Service. The FY2024 Senate committee-reported amount reflects rescissions totaling $466.0 million in S. 2605,
as follows: $14.5 million in Title I for the National Park Service, $1.5 million in Title II for EPA, $100.0 million in
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Overview of Agencies in the Bill
The annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes funding and
other provisions for agencies and programs in three federal departments and for numerous related
agencies. The Interior bill typically contains three primary appropriations titles and a fourth title
with general provisions.18 Title I provides funding for most agencies in the Department of the
Interior (DOI),19 many of which manage land and other natural resource or regulatory programs.
Title I also typically includes general provisions related to DOI agencies. Title II contains
appropriations and administrative provisions for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Title III, Related Agencies, generally funds about two dozen other entities, including the Forest
Service in the Department of Agriculture; the Indian Health Service in the Department of Health
and Human Services; arts and cultural agencies, including the Smithsonian Institution; and
various other organizations and entities. Title III also contains administrative provisions for some
agencies funded therein. Title IV, General Provisions, typically contains additional guidance and
direction for agencies in the bill. The following sections briefly describe selected major agencies
in the Interior bill.
Title I. Department of the Interior20
DOI’s mission is to conserve and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage;
provide scientific and other information about those resources; and exercise trust responsibilities
and other commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities.21
There are nine major DOI agencies and two other broad accounts funded in the Interior bill that
carry out this mission. Hereinafter, these 11 entities are referred to collectively as the DOI
agencies. The DOI agencies and their functions funded in the FY2024 Interior bill included the
following:
• The Bureau of Land Management administers about 245 million acres of federal
public land, mostly in the West, for diverse uses such as energy and mineral
development, livestock grazing, recreation, and preservation. The agency also
administers roughly 713 million acres of federal onshore subsurface mineral
estate throughout the nation and supervises the mineral operations on Indian trust
lands.22

Title IV for the National Park Service, and $350.0 million in Title IV for the Indian Health Service. The FY2024
enacted total reflects total rescissions of $563.0 million, including $27.5 million in Title I for National Park Service
construction, $1.5 million in Title II for EPA, and $534.0 million in unobligated balances for specified agencies under
three sections of Title IV of the law. They pertain to the Indian Health Service and discretionary appropriations from
the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.
18 On occasion, the House, Senate, or enacted version of the Interior bill has contained additional titles. For instance, S.
4686, the FY2023 Interior appropriations bill introduced in the Senate, contained a Title V, with emergency
appropriations for disaster recovery and emergency response of several agencies.
19 The exceptions are the Bureau of Reclamation and the Central Utah Project, which receive appropriations through
Energy and Water Development appropriations laws. For information on appropriations for these entities, see CRS
Report R47553, Energy and Water Development: FY2024 Appropriations, by Mark Holt and Anna E. Normand, and
CRS In Focus IF12369, Bureau of Reclamation: FY2024 Budget and Appropriations, by Charles V. Stern.
20 For additional background on the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its agencies, see CRS Report R45480, U.S.
Department of the Interior: An Overview, by Mark K. DeSantis.
21 DOI, “About Interior,” at https://www.doi.gov/about.
22 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the Bureau of Land Management, CRS In Focus IF12499, Bureau of
Land Management: FY2024 Appropriations, by Carol Hardy Vincent.
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• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers 89 million acres of federal land
within the National Wildlife Refuge System and other areas,23 including 77
million acres in Alaska. It also manages several large marine refuges and marine
national monuments, sometimes jointly with other federal agencies. In addition,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, together with the National Marine Fisheries
Service (Department of Commerce), is responsible for implementing the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §§1531 et seq.); promoting wildlife habitat;
enforcing federal wildlife laws; supporting wildlife and ecosystem science;
conserving migratory birds; administering grants to aid state fish and wildlife
programs; and coordinating with state, international, and other federal agencies
on fish and wildlife issues.24
• The National Park Service administers more than 80 million acres of federal land
within the National Park System, including 429 separate units in the 50 states,
District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Roughly two-thirds of the system’s
lands are in Alaska. The National Park Service has a dual mission—to preserve
unique resources and to provide for their enjoyment by the public. The agency
also supports and promotes some resource conservation activities outside the
National Park System through grant and technical assistance programs and
cooperation with partners.25
• The U.S. Geological Survey is a science agency that provides physical and
biological information related to geological resources; natural hazards; climate
and land use change; and energy, mineral, water, and biological sciences and
resources. In addition, it is the federal government’s principal civilian mapping
agency (e.g., topographical and geological mapping) and a primary source of data
on the quantity and quality of the nation’s water resources (e.g., streamgaging).26
• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management manages development of the nation’s
offshore conventional and renewable energy resources in the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska region. These resources are in areas
covering approximately 2.5 billion acres located beyond state waters. This
acreage is off all coastal states, although much of it (more than 1 billion acres) is
in the Alaska region.27
• The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement provides regulatory and
safety oversight for resource development on the outer continental shelf. Among

23 This is the acreage over which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has primary jurisdiction in the United States and
the territories. The figure excludes acreage in marine national monuments over which the agency also has jurisdiction.
24 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, see CRS In Focus IF12540, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2024 Appropriations, by Caitlin Keating-Bitonti and Carol Hardy Vincent.
25 For a discussion of the different types of national park units and an overview of their management, see CRS Report
R41816, National Park System: What Do the Different Park Titles Signify?, by Laura B. Comay. For an overview of
FY2024 appropriations for the National Park Service, see CRS In Focus IF12436, National Park Service: FY2024
Appropriations, by Laura B. Comay. For an overview of National Park Service appropriations in recent years, see CRS
Report R42757, National Park Service (NPS) Appropriations: Ten-Year Trends, by Laura B. Comay.
26 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the U.S. Geological Survey, see CRS In Focus IF12358, The U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2024 Appropriations, by Anna E. Normand.
27 For a discussion of state and federal waters, see CRS Report RL33404, Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Legal
Framework, by Adam Vann. For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
see CRS In Focus IF12542, Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2024, by Laura B. Comay.
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the bureau’s responsibilities are oil and gas permitting, facility inspections,
environmental compliance, and oil spill response planning.28
• The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement works with states
and tribes to reclaim abandoned coal mining sites. The agency also regulates
active coal mining sites to minimize environmental impacts during mining and to
reclaim affected lands and waters after mining.29
• The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides and funds various services to American
Indians and Alaska Natives. The agency is responsible for programs that include
government operations, courts, law enforcement, fire protection, social programs,
roads, economic development, employment assistance, housing repair, irrigation,
dams, Indian rights protection, implementation of land and water settlements, and
management of trust assets (real estate and natural resources).30
• The Bureau of Indian Education funds and provides education to Indian tribes
and Alaska Natives. The agency funds an elementary and secondary school
system, institutions of higher education, and other educational programs.31
• Departmental Offices covers diverse offices and programs. In the FY2024
appropriations law, it covered the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, Insular
Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor, and the Office of Inspector General.32
• Department-Wide Programs covers varied programs and entities. In the FY2024
appropriations law, it covered DOI Wildland Fire Management,33 the Central
Hazardous Materials Fund, the Energy Community Revitalization Program, the
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund, the Working Capital Fund, and the
Office of Natural Resources Revenue.34

28 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, see CRS In
Focus IF12542, Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2024, by Laura B. Comay.
29 For additional information on the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, see CRS In Focus
IF11352, The Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund: Issues and Legislation in the 117th Congress, by Lance N. Larson,
and CRS Report R46610, Reclamation of Coal Mining Operations: Select Issues and Legislation, by Lance N. Larson.
30 For an overview of budget formulation and appropriations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and related issues and
options for Congress, see CRS Report R47723, Bureau of Indian Affairs: Overview of Budget Issues and Options for
Congress, by Mariel J. Murray. Both the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education received
FY2024 appropriations under the heading Indian Affairs in the FY2024 Interior appropriations law. Under that heading,
the FY2024 appropriations law also contained appropriations for the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration. For
additional information, see DOI, Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2024, Bureau of
Trust Funds Administration, at https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/fy2024-btfa-greenbook.pdf-508.pdf.
31 For a discussion of Indian education programs, see CRS Report RL34205, Indian Elementary-Secondary Education:
Programs, Background, and Issues, by Cassandria Dortch, and CRS In Focus IF10554, Postsecondary Education of
Native Americans, by Cassandria Dortch.
32 An overview of these entities’ responsibilities is at DOI, “Bureaus & Offices,” at https://www.doi.gov/bureaus/
offices.
33 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for wildland fire management, see CRS In Focus IF12398, Funding for
Wildfire Management: FY2024 Appropriations for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior, by Anne A.
Riddle. For an overview of wildland fire management appropriations in recent years, see CRS Report R46583, Federal
Wildfire Management: Ten-Year Funding Trends and Issues (FY2011-FY2020), by Anne A. Riddle.
34 Descriptions of these programs are on the DOI website as follows. For DOI wildland fire management, see
https://www.doi.gov/wildlandfire. For the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, see https://www.doi.gov/oepc/central-
hazardous-materials-fund-chf. For the Energy Community Revitalization Program and the Working Capital Fund, see
DOI, Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2024, Office of the Secretary, Departmentwide
Programs, at https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/fy2024-os-dwp-greenbook-508.pdf. For the Natural Resource
Damage Assessment Fund, see DOI, Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2024, Natural
(continued...)
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Title II. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA administers various environmental statutes that have an express or general objective to
protect human health and the environment.35 Primary responsibilities include the implementation
of federal statutes regulating air quality, water quality, drinking water safety, pesticides, toxic
substances, management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and cleanup of
environmental contamination. EPA awards grants to assist states and local governments in
implementing federal law and complying with federal requirements to control pollution. The
agency also administers programs that provide financial assistance for public wastewater and
drinking water infrastructure projects.36
Title III. Related Agencies
In FY2024, Title III of the Interior bill funded about two dozen agencies, organizations, and other
entities collectively referred to as the related agencies. Among the related agencies funded in the
Interior bill, roughly 95% of the funding typically is provided to the following:
• The Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture manages 193 million acres
of federal land within the National Forest System—consisting of national forests,
national grasslands, and other areas—in 43 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It also provides technical and financial assistance to
states, tribes, and private forest landowners and conducts research on sustaining
forest resources for future generations.37
• The Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services
provides medical and environmental health services for approximately 2.8
million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Health care is provided through a
system of more than 600 hospitals, clinics, and health stations on or near Indian
reservations. The agency, tribes and tribal organizations, and urban Indian
organizations operate these facilities and programs.38
• The Smithsonian Institution is a museum, education, and research complex
consisting of 21 museums, the National Zoological Park (National Zoo), and
several research facilities throughout the United States and around the world.39

Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program, at https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/fy2024-nrdar-
greenbook.pdf-508.pdf. For the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, see https://www.onrr.gov/. For FY2024, the
President’s request also sought funding through this account for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program, though
the FY2024 appropriations law included PILT funding under a general provision. For information on this program, see
CRS Report R46260, The Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program: An Overview, by Carol Hardy Vincent and DOI,
Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2024, Office of the Secretary, Departmentwide
Programs, at https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/fy2024-os-dwp-greenbook-508.pdf.
35 EPA has no organic statute establishing an overall mission.
36 For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for EPA, see CRS In Focus IF12383, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Appropriations: FY2024 President’s Budget Request, by Angela C. Jones, and CRS In Focus IF12626,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2024 Appropriations, by Angela C. Jones.
37 For an overview of Forest Service land management, see CRS Report R43872, National Forest System Management:
Overview and Issues for Congress, by Anne A. Riddle. For an overview of FY2024 appropriations for the Forest
Service, see CRS In Focus IF12396, Forest Service: FY2024 Appropriations, by Anne A. Riddle.
38 Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations
Committees, Fiscal Year 2024, p. CJ-2, at https://www.ihs.gov/sites/budgetformulation/themes/responsive2017/
display_objects/documents/FY2024-IHS-CJ32223.pdf. For additional information on the agency, see CRS Report
R43330, The Indian Health Service (IHS): An Overview, by Elayne J. Heisler.
39 These statistics are from the Smithsonian Institution’s website at http://www.si.edu/About.
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Established by federal legislation in 1846 with the acceptance of a trust donation
by the institution’s namesake benefactor, the Smithsonian is funded by both
federal appropriations and a private trust.40
• The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the
Humanities make up the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities.
The National Endowment for the Arts is a major federal source of support for all
arts disciplines. Since 1965, it has awarded more than 145,000 grants, which
have been distributed to all states. The National Endowment for the Humanities
generally supports grants for humanities education, research, preservation, and
public humanities programs; creation of regional humanities centers; and
development of humanities programs under the jurisdiction of state humanities
councils. Since 1965, it has awarded more than 64,000 grants. It also supports a
Challenge Grant program to stimulate and match private donations in support of
humanities institutions.41
Table 1. Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies:
FY2023-FY2024 Appropriations
(in thousands of dollars)
FY2024 S.
FY2024
FY2024 H.
Comm.

FY2023
Admin.
Passed
Reported
FY2024
Bureau or Agency
Enacted
Requested
(H.R. 4821)
(S. 2605)
Enacted
Bureau of Land Management
$1,493,999
$1,621,526
$1,238,645
$1,498,649
$1,413,133
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
$1,773,292
$2,092,233
$1,539,509
$1,803,844
$1,722,665
National Park Service
$3,475,254
$3,764,499
$3,043,000
$3,456,965
$3,325,078
U.S. Geological Survey
$1,497,178
$1,785,509
$1,359,960
$1,515,452
$1,455,434
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
$182,960
$212,210
$126,000
$163,960
$155,162
Bureau of Safety and Environmental
$171,985
$198,607
$159,099
$162,985
$154,429
Enforcement
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
$289,930
$301,856
$278,923
$289,930
$278,732
and Enforcement
Indian Affairsa
$3,953,727
$4,642,087
$4,087,632
$4,030,444
$3,922,986
Bureau of Indian Affairs
$2,441,016
$2,922,388
$2,583,952
$2,519,217
$2,456,635
Bureau of Indian Education
$1,401,439
$1,610,601
$1,399,504
$1,407,051
$1,366,342
Bureau of Trust Funds Administration
$0
$109,098
$104,176
$0
$100,009
Office of the Special Trustee for
$111,272
$0
$0
$104,176
$0
American Indians
Departmental Offices
$432,754
$476,935
$294,042
$425,048
$435,938

40 For an overview of the Smithsonian Institution, including potential costs of new museums and other issues for
Congress, see CRS Report R44370, Smithsonian Institution: Background, Issues for Congress, and Selected
Legislation, by R. Eric Petersen.
41 For an overview of FY2023 appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for
the Humanities, see CRS Report R47248, National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities: FY2023 Appropriations,
by Shannon S. Loane. An overview of the National Endowment for the Arts is at https://www.arts.gov/about/what-is-
the-nea. An overview of the National Endowment for the Humanities is at https://www.neh.gov/about.
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FY2024 S.
FY2024
FY2024 H.
Comm.

FY2023
Admin.
Passed
Reported
FY2024
Bureau or Agency
Enacted
Requested
(H.R. 4821)
(S. 2605)
Enacted
Office of the Secretary
$135,884
$158,808
$17,277
$142,278
$147,418
Insular Affairs
$128,820
$122,259
$121,820
$117,820
$123,570
Office of the Solicitor
$101,050
$111,898
$90,945
$97,950
$97,950
Office of Inspector General
$67,000
$83,970
$64,000
$67,000
$67,000
Department-Wide Programs
$1,314,019
$2,052,690b
$1,723,391
$1,776,519
$1,761,294
Wildland Fire Management
$1,003,786
$1,675,886
$1,454,443
$1,466,286
$1,463,471
Central Hazardous Materials Fund
$10,064
$10,116
$9,000
$10,064
$9,661
Energy Community Revitalization
$5,000
$30,000
$5,000
$5,000
$4,800
Program
Natural Resource Damage Assessment
$8,037
$8,388
$7,750
$8,037
$7,715
Fund
Working Capital Fund
$112,198
$142,897
$89,758
$112,198
$107,710
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
$174,934
$185,403
$157,440
$174,934
$167,937
General Provisions
$515,000
$536,000
$515,000
$516,000
$516,000
Payments in Lieu of Taxesb
$515,000
$535,000
$515,000
$515,000
$515,000
Otherc
$0
$1,000
$0
$1,000
$1,000
Subtotal, Title I: Department of the
$15,100,098 $17,684,152
$14,365,201 $15,639,796 $15,140,851
Interior
Subtotal, Title II: Environmental
$10,135,433 $12,083,273
$6,155,410
$9,922,318
$9,158,894
Protection Agency
Dept. of Agriculture Under Secretary for
$1,000
$1,411
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
Natural Resources and Environment
Forest Service
$7,073,844
$9,730,827
$8,035,097
$8,341,065
$8,373,324
Indian Health Serviced
$12,058,293
$4,149,542
$7,826,988
$7,275,531
$7,023,339
National Institute of Environmental Health
$83,035
$83,035
$75,000
$83,035
$79,714
Sciences
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
$85,020
$86,020
$76,000
$85,020
$81,619
Registry
Council on Environmental Quality and
$4,676
$4,825
$1,000
$5,176
$4,629
Office of Environmental Quality
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation
$14,400
$17,400
$12,960
$14,400
$14,400
Board
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian
$0
$5,024
$0
$0
$0
Relocatione
Institute of American Indian and Alaska
$13,482
$13,982
$13,000
$13,482
$13,482
Native Culture and Arts Development
Smithsonian Institution
$1,144,500
$1,241,000
$959,715
$1,094,500
$1,090,500
National Gallery of Art
$209,240
$221,000
$178,000
$209,240
$209,240
John F. Kennedy Center for the
$45,380
$48,030
$30,000
$45,380
$44,926
Performing Arts
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FY2024 S.
FY2024
FY2024 H.
Comm.

FY2023
Admin.
Passed
Reported
FY2024
Bureau or Agency
Enacted
Requested
(H.R. 4821)
(S. 2605)
Enacted
Woodrow Wilson International Center
$15,000
$16,100
$12,000
$15,000
$15,000
for Scholars
National Endowment for the Arts
$207,000
$211,000
$186,300
$207,000
$207,000
National Endowment for the Humanities
$207,000
$211,000
$186,300
$207,000
$207,000
Commission of Fine Arts
$3,661
$4,284
$3,464
$3,661
$3,661
National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs
$5,000
$5,000
$4,750
$5,000
$5,000
Advisory Council on Historic
$8,585
$9,494
$8,285
$8,585
$8,585
Preservation
National Capital Planning Commission
$8,750
$9,490
$8,500
$8,750
$8,750
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
$65,231
$67,000
$74,000
$65,231
$65,231
Presidio Trust
$90,000
$45,000
$0
$45,000
$90,000
World War I Centennial Commission
$1,000
$3,000
$1,500
$0
$0
U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission
$15,000
$30,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff
$550
$0
$0
$0
$0
Commission on Native Children
Subtotal, Title III: Related Agencies
$21,359,647 $16,213,464
$17,708,859 $17,748,056 $17,561,400
Subtotal, Title IV: General Provisionsf
$0
$0
-$9,387,000
-$450,000
-$534,000
Total Interior, Environment, and
$46,595,178 $45,980,889
$28,842,470 $42,860,170 $41,327,145
Related Agencies
Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
Notes: Enacted appropriations for FY2023 were contained in P.L. 117-328, Division G. House-passed
appropriations were included in H.R. 4821, passed by the House on November 3, 2023. Senate committee-
reported appropriations were included in S. 2605, reported by the Senate Committee on Appropriations on July
27, 2023, together with S.Rept. 118-83. Enacted appropriations for FY2024 were contained in P.L. 118-42,
Division E.
In general, amounts reflected in this table represent regular annual appropriations for the pertinent fiscal year
(FY2023 or FY2024), rescissions of prior year appropriations, and certain advance appropriations for the Indian
Health Service (in Title III). Amounts generally exclude emergency supplemental appropriations (e.g., $6.15
billion in FY2023 for disaster relief in Division N, Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, of P.L.
117-328, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023); emergency and advance appropriations (other than
certain advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service); and mandatory appropriations under authorizing
statutes, such as under P.L. 116-152, the Great American Outdoors Act, which provided mandatory
appropriations for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and deferred maintenance of federal land
management agencies.
a. This row shows total funding for the listed entities. The FY2024 law, Administration’s request, and House-
passed bill included funds for the functions of the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians through
a new Bureau of Trust Funds Administration.
b. The FY2024 request for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Program ($535.0 million) was included under
Department-Wide Programs. For easier comparison, these appropriations are shown in this table under
General Provisions.
c. The $1.0 million in the FY2024 law, Administration’s request, and Senate committee-reported bill was
included for offshore decommissioning work.
d. Amounts in this row reflect advance appropriations as follows. The FY2023 enacted total included $5.13
billion in advance appropriations for FY2024 that were contained in P.L. 117-328, Division G. The FY2024
request did not include advance appropriations for FY2025. The FY2024 House-passed total included $5.88
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Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2024 Appropriations

billion in advance appropriations for FY2025. The FY2024 Senate committee-reported total included $5.23
billion in advance appropriations for FY2025. The FY2024 enacted total included $5.19 billion in advance
appropriations for FY2025. It did not reflect $5.13 billion in advance appropriations for FY2024 that were
enacted in the FY2023 appropriations law and are reflected in the FY2023 enacted amount.
e. The FY2024 request reflected new funding (of $5.0 million). The FY2023 enacted and FY2024 House-passed
amounts reflected $3.1 million from unobligated balances of funding. The FY2024 Senate committee-
reported amount and the FY2024 enacted amount reflected $5.0 million from unobligated balances of
funding.
f.
The FY2024 House-passed figure reflected rescissions and another reduction under several sections of Title
IV of H.R. 4821, pertaining to a greenhouse gas reduction fund, environmental and climate justice grants, the
Council on Environmental Quality, the National Park Service, and outer continental shelf receipts. The
FY2024 Senate committee-reported figure reflected rescissions under two sections of Title IV of the bill,
pertaining to the National Park Service and the Indian Health Service. The FY2024 enacted amount reflected
rescissions of unobligated balances for specified agencies under three sections of Title IV of the law. They
pertained to the Indian Health Service and discretionary appropriations from the Land and Water
Conservation Fund for the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.

Author Information

Carol Hardy Vincent

Specialist in Natural Resources Policy

Key Policy Staff

Area of Expertise
Name
Interior Appropriations, coordinator
Carol Hardy Vincent
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Jerry H. Yen
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Mariel J. Murray
Bureau of Indian Education
Cassandria Dortch
Bureau of Land Management
Carol Hardy Vincent
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Laura B. Comay
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
Laura B. Comay
Environmental Protection Agency
Angela C. Jones
Forest Service
Anne A. Riddle
Indian Health Service
Elayne J. Heisler
Land and Water Conservation Fund
Carol Hardy Vincent
Office of Insular Affairs
R. Sam Garrett
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Laura B. Comay
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Lance N. Larson
National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment
Shannon S. Loane
for the Humanities
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Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2024 Appropriations

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Jerry H. Yen
(Superfund authorities)
National Park Service
Laura B. Comay
Payments in Lieu of Taxes
Carol Hardy Vincent
Smithsonian Institution
Shannon S. Loane
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Caitlin Keating-Bitonti
U.S. Geological Survey
Anna E. Normand
Wildland Fire Management
Anne A. Riddle

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 permission of the copyright holder if you wish to
copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

Congressional Research Service
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