Thursday, February 28, 2013

BLM's Management of Mineral Acreage is Grossly Inequitable

Below is a listing of BLM managed subsurface and surface acreage in the various states.

This is a very important document as it shows the federal government's disparate approach to control of subsurface mineral rights across the country. For example, Texas, with 168 million acres has only 4.5 million acres of federally controlled subsurface mineral rights, Oklahoma, with 44 million acres has only 2.3 million acres of federally controlled subsurface mineral rights, while New Mexico, with 77 million acres, has 36 million acres of federally controlled subsurface mineral rights.

The result of this is that Texas and Oklahoma own, either publicly or privately, the vast majority of the oil and gas production royalties and therefore receive vastly more money than does New Mexico.

Only be setting up a Task Force is it possible for New Mexico to challenge the federal government to release New Mexico's mineral rights or, at a minimum, to return more of the 55% of the royalties the federal goverment keeps from our school sections.

This document also reflects not only the desperate treatment of the western states but as well the manner in which the federal government treats the "eastern states" compared to the western states: Only 40 million acres of the 699 million acres of mineral rights acreage across the country are within the "eastern states."

While our Legislature is scrambling to find a way to increase the amount of money available for education, a possible solution what would not require an amendment to our constitution or an increase in taxes is right before our eyes, we need to request an increase in the percent of royalties we receive from the school sections while, at the same time, demanding additional school sections.

Of course, without a vehicle to drive this request, we may go another 100 years without increasing the money we need for education by other than tax increases or withdrawing additional money from our permanent fund.

We need a Task Force to study this issue, along with many other issues. How, other than by establishing a Task Force, can we realistically confront this gross inequity?



MINERAL AND SURFACE ACREAGE
MANAGED  BY THE BLM 

State
Total State Acreage
Federal Minerals a
Federal Surface Landsb
BLM-Managed Public Lands d
Alaska
365.48
237.0
237.0
73.0
Arizona
72.69
35.8
33.0
12.2
California
100.21
47.5
45.0
15.3
Colorado
66.49
29.0
24.1
8.3
Eastern States
h
40.0
40.0
0.1
Hawaii
4.11
0.6
0.6
0.0
Idaho
52.93
36.5
33.1
11.6
Kansas
52.51
0.8
0.7
0.0
Montana
93.27
37.8
26.1
8. 0
Nebraska
49.03
0.7
0.7
0.1
Nevada
70.26
58.7
58.4
47.8
New Mexico
77.77
36.0
26.5
13.4
North Dakota
44.45
5.6
1.1
0.1
Oklahoma
44.09
2.3
1.7
0.1
Oregon
61.60
33.9
32.4
16.1
South Dakota
48.88
3.7
2.1
0.2
Texas
168.22
4.5
4.5
0.1
Utah
52.70
35.2
34.0
22.8
Washington
42.69
12.5
12.2
0.4
Wyoming
62.34
41.6
30.0
18.3
Total
1,529.72
699.7
643.2
247.9

No comments:

Post a Comment