Request for Nominations of High Valued Lands with High Risk Boundaries
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov
February 10, 2011
In Reply Refer To:
9600 (350) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 02/14/2011
Instruction Memorandum No. 2011-066
Expires: 09/30/2012
To: State Directors
Attn: Field Managers, State Office Chief Cadastral Surveyors, and Realty Officers
From: Director
Subject: Request for Nominations of High Valued Lands with High Risk Boundaries
DD: 03/01/2011
Program Area: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land and Resource Management Programs and Law Enforcement.
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) requires the states to canvass their jurisdictions to identify significant resources on Department of the Interior (DOI)-managed lands that are at risk because of antiquated surveys. Any high valued lands with at-risk resources should be nominated to the Washington Office (WO) for possible Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 funding of necessary cadastral services. Funding for this effort has been set aside in the FY 2011 Planning Target Allocations (PTA). Contributed state and field office funding may also be used to leverage limited resources.
Policy/Action: The Office of Inspector General (OIG) report No. C-IN-MOA-0001-2009 states that significant revenue could be generated from high valued lands with antiquated surveys that have lost minerals or have unauthorized utilities. The report also states that additional revenues will likely be lost in the absence of the necessary cadastral services. Consequently, each BLM field and state office will identify lands with revenues at risk due to antiquated surveys.
Offices are requested to forward nominations to their respective State Office Chief Cadastral Surveyor for coordination and submittal to the WO using the Nomination Questionnaire. Nominations must include quantified values, both market and nonmarket. Nominations received by the WO will be formatted for panel review. The panel, representing a cross-section of disciplines and BLM directorates, will give priority to projects with the greatest potential to result in the recovery of revenues followed by those resulting in protection of assets. In addition, projects with contributed field office and/or state office funding will be given preference.
Background: High-risk boundaries occur where significant revenues are at risk due to antiquated surveys. The abovementioned report states that the BLM will identify and conduct surveys on Federal and Indian lands having the highest risk boundaries.
Nominations for a similar effort were submitted for consideration in FY 2010, with an initial response of 25 nominations. These nominations were subsequently reduced to a field of 11. A panel reviewed and ranked the nominations according to established criteria as defined above in Policy/Action.
As part of this effort, the BLM State Office Chief Cadastral Surveyors will also work with other Federal land management agencies to identify high-risk lands using the same guidance.
Timeframe: This IM is effective immediately. The nominations must be submitted to the WO by March 1, 2011, to allow time to review, rank, and distribute funds.
Budget Impact: Funding has been set aside in the FY 2011 PTA. Additional funds may be identified.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: Department of the Interior Manual Part 757, Surveying and Mapping.
Coordination: The above mentioned panel will consist of a cross representation including Field and Washington Office managers, at least one Division Chief and chaired by a Deputy Assistant Director. During the project identification and submission process, the State Office Chief Cadastral Surveyors will coordinate with the resource, realty, and law enforcement staffs within the BLM and other Federal agencies to provide any nominations meeting above described criteria.
Contact: If you have any questions concerning the content of this IM, please contact Michael D. Nedd at 202-208-4201, or your staff may contact Mark Wahlfield, Cadastral Surveyor, at
202-912-7316 for further guidance and direction.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Robert V. Abbey Robert M. Williams
Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
3 Attachments
2- Nomination Questionnaire (2 pp)
3- Project Completion Questionnaire (2 pp)