Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency in the Department of Interior, manages over 264 million acres of public land primarily in 12 western states and Alaska. In addition, the BLM manages 300 million acres of below-ground mineral rights throughout the country. (Owner­ship of land is considered ownership of a “bundle of rights” to the land. Often, in areas of the United States where there are mineral deposits [oil, gas, gold, silver, etc.], developers and homeowners purchase surface rights, while other individuals or businesses own the right to extract subsurface minerals, which has led to conflicts.)

The BLM states its mission is “to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.” On pub­ lic lands the agency manages a wide variety of resources and their uses, including energy and mineral extraction, timber, forage, wild horse and burro populations, wildlife habitats, and archaeological and historical sites.

The BLM’s roots go back to the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, laws that provided for surveys and settlement of land beyond the original 13 colonies. In 1812 Congress established the General Land Office to oversee disposition of federal lands. Homesteading Laws and the Mining Law of 1872 expanded federal efforts to establish settlements in west­ern territories.

By the end of the 19th century, with the creation of the first national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, Congress withdrew these lands from settlement and also initiated a change in policy goals for public lands toward resource use. Acts in the early 20th century authorized mineral leas­ing, cattle grazing, and timberland management. In 1946 the Grazing Service was merged with the General Land Office to form the BLM, which operated under more than 2,000 laws, often in conflict with each other, until 1976. That year the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) was enacted, and Congress defined the BLM’s role as “management of public lands and their various resource values so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people.”

While directed to achieve “multiple use management,” the BLM remains a controversial federal agency. Tradi­tional users of public lands, including grazing, timber, and mining interests, are often in conflict with increasing pub­lic calls for conservation, environmental management, and recreation. Supporters of the BLM point to the many con­servation and environmental management actions taken by the bureau, while critics point to status quo practices subsidizing private development of public resources.