Fiscal Year 2017 Land and Water Conservation Fund Project Submissions
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240-0036
http://www.blm.gov
February 23, 2015
In Reply Refer To:
2100 (350) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 02/23/2015
Instruction Memorandum No. 2015-050
Expires: 09/30/2018
To: All State Directors
From: Assistant Director, Energy, Minerals and Realty Management
Subject: Fiscal Year 2017 Land and Water Conservation Fund Project Submissions DD: 04/24/2015
Program Area: Land Acquisition.
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) requests your submission of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 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).
Policy/Action: Submission of annual proposals for LWCF land acquisition funding must be consistent with the LWCF FY 2017 Submission Process. Program guidance and submission formats are attached. A completed narrative, fact sheet, questionnaire, representative maps and digital photographs must accompany your nomination. Submissions are limited to eligible priorities (described in attachment 1).
Timeframe: Submissions are due to WO-350 by April 24, 2015, without exception.
Budget Impact: Submission of annual proposals is expected to have a minimal impact on budget.
Background: Each year the BLM submits proposals for out-year budgets, as part of the development of the President’s Budget Request for the following year. The Department of the Interior will begin the process for the 2017 President’s Budget Request in the next few months. 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 FY 2017 budget proposals. Funding proposals requested in this directive will initiate a selection process followed by funding recommendations presented to the Director.
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 2017 process is limited to 20 eligible projects from each State Office. Submission information must not be released to external sources, as submission of the proposals at this time does not guarantee inclusion in the FY 2017 President’s Budget.
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 in the Directorate of Energy, Minerals and Realty Management. This IM has been coordinated with the Renewable Resources and Planning Directorate and the National Landscape Conservation System and Community Partnerships Directorate, and the BLM Field Committee.
Contact: If you have questions concerning the content of this IM, please contact me at 202-208-4201, or your staff may contact Don Buhler, Branch Chief, Division of Lands, Realty and Cadastral Survey, at 202-912-7353.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Karen E. Mouritsen Robert M. Williams
Acting, Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-860
Energy, Minerals and Realty Management
4 Attachments
1 - LWCF FY 2017 Submission Process (2 pp)