Federal land policy in Hawaii

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Federal land policy involves the ownership and management of land owned by the federal government. As of 2012, the federal government owned between 635 million to 640 million acres, or 28 percent, of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Federal land is managed for many purposes, such as the conservation and development of natural resources, grazing and recreation. The federal government owns 20.3 percent of Hawaii's total land, 833 thousand acres out of 4.1 million total acres.

Hawaii ranked 32nd in the nation in federal land ownership.

Land ownership

See also: Federal land policy and Federal land ownership by state

The federal government owned between 635 million and 640 million acres of land in 2012 (about 28 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Around 52 percent of federally owned acres were in 12 Western states—including Alaska, 61 percent of which was federally owned. In contrast, the federal government owned 4 percent of land in the other 38 states. Federal land policy is designed to manage minerals, oil and gas resources, timber, wildlife and fish, and other natural resources found on federal land. Land management policies are highly debated for their economic, environmental and social impacts. Additionally, the size of the federal estate and the acquisition of more federal land are major issues.

Hawaii is an island group in the Pacific Ocean and one of the two non-contiguous states in the United States. According to the Congressional Research Service, the state of Hawaii has a total acreage of 4.1 million acres. Of that total, 20.31 percent, or 833,786 acres, belongs to the federal government. From 1990 to 2010, the federal government increased its ownership of land in Hawaii by 118,571 acres. The federal government owns between 635 million to 640 million acres nationwide, or 28 percent of the estimated 2.27 billion acres in the nation. Approximately 3.3 million acres in Hawaii are not owned by the federal government, which works out to an average of 0.80 acres per capita for the state's 1.4 million residents.

The table below shows federal land ownership in Hawaii compared to a neighboring state and an eastern state, as a comparison. More than 42.9 percent of federal land, or 357,772 acres, are owned by the U.S. National Park Service, compared to more than 7.5 million acres in California and only 5,719 acres in Connecticut. While Connecticut has only 1,608 acres owned by the U.S. Department of Defense, Hawaii has 177,033 acres owned by the Department of Defense.

Federal land ownership in Hawaii and other states by agency
State
Agency	Hawaii		California		Connecticut
	Acres owned	Percentage owned	Acres owned	Percentage owned	Acres owned	Percentage owned
U.S. Forest Service	1	0.00%	20,821,541	43.56%	24	0.28%
U.S. National Park Service	357,772	42.91%	7,570,527	15.84%	5,719	66.83%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	298,980	35.86%	286,664	0.60%	1,206	14.09%
U.S. Bureau of Land Management	0	0.00%	15,306,243	32.02%	0	0.00%
U.S. Department of Defense	177,033	21.23%	3,812,558	7.98%	1,608	18.79%
Total federal land	833,786	100%	47,797,533	100%	8,557	100%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

Land usage

Recreation

National parks in Hawaii

Hawaii has seven National Park Service units, one national monument, two wilderness areas, one national historic site and one national historic trail. A study by the U.S. National Park Service found that 4.9 million visitors attended Hawaii's national parks and monuments and generated $312.1 million in visitor spending in 2013.

Federal lands and Indian reservations in Hawaii by government agency (click the image to enlarge).

State recreation lands

The Hawaii state parks system is operated by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. There are 53 state parks in Hawaii covering roughly 25,000 acres. To access a full listing of Hawaii state parks, click here.

Economic activity on federal lands

Oil and gas activity

See also: BLM oil and gas leases by state

Private mining companies, including oil and natural gas companies, can apply for leases from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to explore and produce energy on federal land. The company seeking a lease must nominate the land for oil and gas exploration to the BLM, which evaluates and approves the lease. The BLM state offices make leasing decisions based on their land use plans, which contain information on the land's resources and the potential environmental impact of oil or gas exploration. If federal lands are approved for leasing, the BLM requires information about how the company will conduct its drilling and production. Afterward, the BLM will produce an environmental analysis and a list of requirements before work on the land can begin. The agency also inspects the companies' drilling and production on the leased lands.

In 2013, there were 47,427 active leases covering 36.09 million acres of federal land nationwide. Of that total, no leases were in Hawaii. In 2013, out of 3,770 new drilling leases approved nationwide by the BLM for oil and gas exploration, no leases were in Hawaii.

The table below shows how Hawaii compared to neighboring states in oil and gas permits on BLM-managed lands in 2013.

Oil and gas leasing on BLM lands by state
State	Active permits on BLM lands (FY 2013)	Total acres under lease (FY 2013)	State percentage of total permits	State percentage of total acres
Hawaii	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
California	600	239,071	1.27%	0.66%
Oregon	112	188,391	0.24%	0.52%
Total United States	47,427 permits	36,092,482 acres	-	-
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Statistics"

Payments in lieu of taxes

See also: Payments in lieu of taxes

Since local governments cannot collect taxes on federally owned property, the U.S. Department of the Interior issues payments to local governments to replace lost property tax revenue from federal land. The payments, known as "Payments in Lieu of Taxes" (PILTs), are typically used for funding services such as fire departments, police protection, school construction and roads.

The table below shows PILTs for Hawaii compared to neighboring states between 2011 and 2013.

Total PILTs for Hawaii and neighboring states
State	FY 2011	FY 2012	FY 2013	State's percentage of 2013 total
Hawaii	$328,471	$334,977	$326,906	0.08%
California	$38,025,813	$40,272,053	$41,445,228	10.32%
Oregon	$13,062,332	$14,004,966	$15,578,762	3.88%
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, "PILT"

Environmental policy in the 50 states

Click on a state below to read more about that state's energy policy.

Choose your state...AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington, D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

http://ballotpedia.org/Environmental_policy_in_STATE

See also

• 

  Environmental policy in the U.S.

• 

  Energy policy in the U.S.

• 

  Endangered species policy

External links

• U.S. National Park Service
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• Congressional Research Service