Gracie WarhurstThe Department of the Interior (DOI) announced $621.2 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 1,900 state and local governments. PILT helps these governments’ ability to maintain community services.
The payments are essential because federal lands, like national parks, cannot be taxed by local governments. PILT funds help offset the costs of providing essential services such as firefighting, law enforcement, public school education, road maintenance and search-and-rescue operations.
PILT payments are calculated based on the acreage of federal land within each county or jurisdiction and the local population. Areas with more federal land and larger populations receive higher payments to cover their expenses.
The state of California received the most funding, totaling over $64 million. States like New Mexico and Utah received just under $50 million, and Colorado received almost $48 million.
Since PILT payments started in 1977, the DOI has distributed nearly $12 billion to states and territories. The funding source for PILT payments comes from revenue generated by commercial activities on public lands, totaling more than $22.2 billion annually.
