Fiscal Year 2016 Land and Water Conservation Fund Project Submissions
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov
January 30, 2014
In Reply Refer To:
2100 (350) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 02/06/2014
Instruction Memorandum No. 2014-039
Expires: 09/30/2015
To: All State Directors
From: Assistant Director, Energy, Minerals, and Realty Management
Subject: Fiscal Year 2016 Land and Water Conservation Fund Project Submissions DD: 04/25/2014
Program Area: Land Acquisition.
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) requests your submission of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Core project land acquisition funding proposals to be forwarded to the Washington Office Division of Lands, Realty and Cadastral Survey (WO-350). Program guidance and submission formats are attached. With the volume of competing workloads, this request is being forwarded in advance of the formal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Strategic Budget Plan packet to provide ample time to prepare submissions. Submissions are limited to eligible priorities (described in Attachment 1).
Since FY 2010, field response to the annual submission process has increased dramatically. That interest, coupled with reduced levels of appropriated funding (resulting in no project funding and/or project underfunding), has created a significant backlog of acquisition opportunities. In order to meet long-term conservation goals, a number of third party partners have purchased threatened parcels to preserve them for future resale to the BLM. In an attempt to address this growing backlog, the FY 2016 process is limited to 20 eligible projects from each State Office. Submission information must not be released to external sources, as it may become part of the FY 2016 President’s Budget.
Policy/Action: Submission of annual proposals for LWCF land acquisition funding must be consistent with the LWCF FY 2016 Submission Process. A completed narrative, fact sheet, questionnaire, representative maps and digital photographs must accompany your nomination.
Timeframe: Submissions are due to WO-350 by April 25, 2014, without exception.
Budget Impact: Minimal.
Background: Each year the BLM participates in a Department of the Interior strategic budget planning exercise for the upcoming FY. A part of this exercise is to develop funding targets for the land acquisition program and to identify the individual properties within each eligible project area to be incorporated into the upcoming FY’s President’s Budget. Funding proposals requested in this directive will initiate a selection process followed by funding recommendations presented to the Director.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: This IM transmits interim policy that will be incorporated into H-2100-1, Acquisitions, during the next revision. This policy is intended to be inserted in Chapter 4, Section 4A.
Coordination: Development of the BLM’s annual LWCF land acquisition funding request is managed by the Division of Lands, Realty and Cadastral Survey.
Contact: If you have questions concerning the content of this IM, please contact me at 202-208-4201, or your staff may contact David Beaver, National LWCF Program Lead, at 202-912-7336.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Michael Nedd Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-860
Minerals and Realty Management
4 Attachments
1 - LWCF FY 2016 Submission Process (2 pp)