Department of the Interior

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Office of the Secretary
Contact: Dan DuBray
For Immediate Release: June 23, 2005
(202) 208-6416
Secretary Norton Says State and Local Governments to Get More under Federal PILT Program

WASHINGTON-Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton today announced that more than $226.4 million is being distributed in 2005 to approximately 1,850 local governments whose jurisdictions contain tax-exempt federal lands. The funds, which are channeled to localities under the federal Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) Program, add up to $2.1 million more than the $224.3 million paid in 2004.

"We are pleased to provide these payments that help states offset the loss of tax revenues to counties that contain federal lands," Norton said. "This money will help pay for essential services such as firefighting, search-and-rescue operations and a host of other badly needed on-the-ground services."

The amount appropriated for the PILT program in FY 2005 includes $226.4 million for payments to counties and other local governments. The amount is the largest amount ever provided to counties and other local jurisdictions for PILT.

In 2005, the Interior Department will collect revenues of approximately $12.9 billion from commercial and recreational activities on federal lands. Commercial activities include, for example, oil and gas leasing, livestock grazing and timber harvesting. A significant portion of these revenues is shared with States and local governments. The balance is deposited in the general fund of the U.S. Treasury, which in turn pays for a broad array of federal activities, including payments to counties.
The 2005 PILT payments will be disbursed by the Interior Department on or about June 24, 2005. For the fourth consecutive year, Secretary Norton is sending the payments out in advance of the end of the counties' fiscal year, June 30. "The Department's efforts to provide timely payments are important to the counties and help us to advance the partnerships that we have with these local jurisdictions that are host to the Nation's parks, refuges, and other public lands," Norton said.

The PILT payments may be used for any governmental purpose. The PILT funds have been used to help improve local school, water, and road systems. Payment eligibility is reserved for local governments (usually counties) that provide services such as those related to public safety, environment, housing, social services and transportation, and that contain nontaxable federal lands.

Payments under PILT are made for federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Forest Service, Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation water projects, and some military installations.

All States except Rhode Island will receive PILT funding in 2005. The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands also receive these funds. The following listing shows amounts paid to counties summarized by state.


Payments in Lieu of Taxes, Fiscal Year 2005 Summary by State

State FY 2004 FY 2005
ALABAMA 409,035 420,660
ALASKA 15,638,228 15,785,027
ARIZONA 18,698,143 19,233,714
ARKANSAS 3,189,632 2,662,468
CALIFORNIA 19,128,162 19,002,175
COLORADO 17,600,933 16,839,759
CONNECTICUT 29,181 29,048
DELAWARE 10,330 10,591

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
18,084 18,359
FLORIDA 2,886,819 2,892,054
GEORGIA 1,534,672 1,466,567

GUAM
1,885 1,922
HAWAII 186,340 194,320

IDAHO
15,306,478 15,871,144

ILLINOIS
625,111 638,708
INDIANA 367,383 374,687

IOWA
255,559 261,560
KANSAS 638,822 654,133

KENTUCKY
1,595,515 1,551,188

LOUISIANA
295,544 310,100

MAINE
203,568 211,190
MARYLAND 85,384 81,471
MASSACHUSETTS 63,610 65,284
MICHIGAN 2,553,298 2,575,756
MINNESOTA 1,628,214 1,550,403

MISSISSIPPI
923,096 887,990

MISSOURI
2,157,494 2,281,621
MONTANA 16,681,936 17,188,322
NEBRASKA 654,262 676,604
NEVADA 13,495,376 13,732,723
NEW HAMPSHIRE 998,447 1,018,910
NEW JERSEY 77,295 76,109

NEW MEXICO
21,999,459 22,386,899
NEW YORK 88,425 84,180
NORTH CAROLINA 2,411,306 2,466,816
NORTH DAKOTA 1,005,087 950,280
OHIO 532,703 457,383
OKLAHOMA 1,500,526 1,600,788
OREGON 6,245,153 6,428,257
PENNSYLVANIA 461,048 384,210
PUERTO RICO 36,403 8,481

RHODE ISLAND
0 0

SOUTH CAROLINA
249,918 259,315
SOUTH DAKOTA 2,506,524 2,566,411

TENNESSEE
1,390,696 1,432,395
TEXAS 2,593,311 2,595,410
UTAH 19,136,869 19,622,224
VERMONT 522,377 522,016
VIRGIN ISLANDS 39,514 43,209
VIRGINIA 2,431,553 2,368,454
WASHINGTON
5,879,878
6,322,087
WEST VIRGINIA
1,689,467
1,655,880
WISCONSIN
1,015,808
880,256
WYOMING
14,627,836
14,810,769

Grand Total

224,301,697
226,410,287

 

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