Energy and Minerals Management

What this funds

Energy and Mineral Production (-$1,878,000 / -5 FTE) - The budget request will be used to support the increased domestic supply of sand, gravel, critical and other minerals produced on public lands which are needed for the construction of affordable housing and essential to national security. The BLM's program will utilize funding to improve leasing and permitting of these activities on public lands and split estate (private surface, Federal mineral). This work will contribute to the implementation of E.O. 14241 - Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, and S.O. 3419 - Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis, as well as other energy and The overall goal of the Bureau's Other Mineral Resources subactivity is to meet the demand for leases, contracts, and permits on Federal lands for certain solid leasable minerals other than coal program and rock disposals in the Mineral Material program. This includes ensuring that operations are conducted in accordance with the terms of the lease, contract, or permit, as well as applicable laws and regulations, and meeting the requirements of E.O. 14156 - Declaring a National Energy Emergency, E.O. 14241 - Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, and S.O. 3419 Action Plan. The Other Mineral Resources subactivity funds two distinct and separate programs: Mineral Materials and Non-Energy Solid Leasable Minerals other than Coal. The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits or leases for oil sulfur leasing in Louisiana and New Mexico and asphalt in Oklahoma. The Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947 further provides for leasing these minerals along with hardrock minerals from Federally acquired lands, with the Secretary assuming hardrock mineral leasing responsibilities from the Department of Agriculture under Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1946, and royalties collected from these leases. In 1982, management of all onshore minerals, except on Indian lands, was transferred to the BLM, which now oversees the Solid Leasable Minerals other than Coal program, including leases, permits, mine plans, production verification, operational inspections, and enforcement of relevant laws and regulations. The responsibility of this program includes the Critical Minerals identified by the USGS and placed as the Chapter III - Management of Lands and Page - III - 70 Bureau of Land Management 2027 Budget Justifications highest priority of E.O. 14156 - Declaring a National Energy Emergency, as well as leasable solid minerals identified in E.O. 14241 - Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production. The program focuses on the identification and delivery of these minerals which is key for promoting domestic The BLM's Indian Trust responsibilities for Solid Leasable Minerals other than Coal program are defined in the memorandum "Onshore Federal and Indian Energy and Mineral Lease Management Standard The general authority for the Mineral Materials Program is the Materials Act of 1947, as amended, complemented by the Multiple Surface Use Act of 1955. The two Acts authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish rules and regulations and to grant any qualified applicant, by sale or free use, disposal of common variety mineral materials from public lands. The responsibility of this program is to provide foundation material for infrastructure and energy development. Providing fair market value for material accessible to the public is consistent with S.O. 3419 - Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis. Certain elements of both programs are subject to mandatory case-by-case cost recovery fees. The Mineral Materials program is subject to cost recovery, guided by FLPMA limitations, from a material sales applicant to offset the BLM's processing costs in return for the benefit provided to the applicant. Only a few actions require mandatory cost recovery under the Solid Leasable Minerals other than the Coal program. However, in some offices with large and complicated minerals workloads, lessees voluntarily contribute funds to ensure the BLM can keep pace with their mining plans. The program is administered by a professional staff of geologists, mining engineers, and other resource sciences. The cost of mineral materials disposals, inspections, and production verification processed each year varies due to the size and complexity of the disposals and number of discovered trespasses. Increasing demand due to urban interface expansion toward public lands and increased development of energy infrastructure has led to complex issues regarding ownership and disposal of the Federal surface and mineral estates. Split estate lands (private surface, Federal mineral) are points that can result in unintended trespass. BLM is proactive in keeping Fair Market Value determinations current and competitive, ensuring rock supply to meet the country's infrastructure and energy needs. Minerals associated with the Solid Leasable Minerals other than Coal program have been placed as the Administration's top priority in the energy emergency declarations, categorized with Critical Minerals and coal. Resource focus will be to meet the demands to permit and authorize these Chapter III - Management of Lands and Page - III - 71 Bureau of Land Management 2027 Budget Justifications

Extracted from Bureau of Land Management, p. 53. Verbatim; nothing here is paraphrased.

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