President’s $11.7 Billion Proposed FY 2019 Budget for Interior Includes Legislation to Strengthen Infrastructure and Address Deferred Maintenance

Date: February 12, 2018
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump today proposed an $11.7 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget for the Department of the Interior that includes a legislative proposal to establish the Public Lands Infrastructure Fund. The Fund will provide up to $18 billion to address Interior’s deferred maintenance backlog in national parks, national wildlife refuges and Bureau of Indian Education schools through funding from energy leasing revenues. The legislation complements the President’s national infrastructure investment proposal and recognizes the importance of a long-term investment in America’s treasures.

Along with strengthening the nation’s infrastructure, the proposed budget prioritizes economic growth and expanded public access for outdoor recreation. The budget enables Interior to carry out its core mission of responsible multiple-use of public lands in a way that both conserves America’s iconic landscapes and supports responsible resource development. To download highlights of the DOI FY 2019 budget, click this link: https://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/2019/highlights

"President Trump is absolutely right to call for a robust infrastructure plan that rebuilds our national parks, refuges, and Indian schools, and I look forward to helping him deliver on that historic mission," said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. "Our parks and refuges are being loved to death, but the real heart break is the condition of the schools in Indian Country. We can and must do better for these young scholars. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue, this is an American issue, and the President and I are ready to work with absolutely anyone in Congress who is willing to get the work done."

Zinke continued: "Not all visitors to our parks and public lands have the ability to hike with a 30-pound pack and camp in the wilderness miles away from utilities. Many people see our national parks from scenic overlooks and short guided hikes on paved trails. In order for families with young kids or elderly grandparents to enjoy the parks, we need to rebuild basic infrastructure like roads, trails, lodges, restrooms and visitors centers. Not since the 1950s has a President embarked on such a noble and ambitious mission to rebuild our National Parks.”

The Department of the Interior oversees one-fifth of the nation's land and the entire Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Department is charged with overseeing energy development on federal lands and waters, grazing allotments and timber sales, water conservation and delivery, upholding Tribal trust responsibilities, conservation of wildlife and habitat, and maintaining access for recreation in National Parks and other public lands, among other priorities.

The FY 2019 budget includes the President’s continued focus on the following priorities:

American Infrastructure: Investing in Interior's $300 Billion Asset Portfolio

• Legislative Proposal to launch new Public Lands Infrastructure Fund
  • Up to $18 billion to help pay for repairs and improvements in America’s national parks, national wildlife refuges, and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools
  • Fund supported by 50% of increased Federal energy leasing and development activities over FY 2018 Budget projections
• $805 million to address the $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog in our National Parks, which accounts for 69% of Interior's $16 billion deferred maintenance backlog.
• Invests $891 million for Bureau of Reclamation water systems and new capital construction
• Proposes $28 million for Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Dam Safety and Maintenance Program
• $99 million to support U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consultation requirements to avoid logjams on major infrastructure projects
• $48 million to prioritize permitting in the Bureau of Land Management for energy transmission and energy related rights-of-way

America First Energy: $792 million to power America's future

• Onshore: $233 million to strengthen oil and gas and coal programs by improving the application and permitting processes, and supporting related rights of way
• Offshore: $348 million includes a $9 million increase to update the Five-Year OCS Oil and Gas Plan
• Renewables: $73 million to keep pace with anticipated project interest for renewable energy development
• $138 million to support effective management of mineral revenue

$4.6 Billion for America's Land: Increasing access, back to the basics on stewardship

• Invests $2.4 billion in the core operations of the National Park Service
• Addresses adaptive management challenges and provides $101 million for work on invasive species
• Directs funds to maintain the lands we have, rather than purchasing land we cannot afford
• Includes $89 million in mandatory funds to support Land and Water Conservation Fund State Grants
• $473 million to support hunting, fishing, and other wildlife dependent recreation on national wildlife refuges
• $465 million to support communities neighboring our public lands through Payments in Lieu of Taxes

Additional Legislative Priorities

• Proposes Wildland Fire Suppression Disaster Cap Adjustment for Interior and U.S. Forest Service activities
• Proposes to reduce $230 million in unobligated balances from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act program
• Proposes legislation to better facilitate title transfer of Reclamation facilities
• Budget assumes permanent reauthorization of the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act
• Proposed to repeal geothermal revenue sharing payments to counties and return to traditional 50/50 Federal-state sharing
• Proposes to permanently reauthorize the Recreation Fee Program
• Reviews options to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund