With federal budget talks once again at a stalemate, on the heels of the partial government shutdown in November, the American people are being forced to take a new look at the role of government agencies and public employees in our day-to-day lives. During the last shutdown, we heard comments such as, "If all those public employees are `nonessential,' why are they on the payroll? What are they doing? Is it really important?"
These are reasonable questions.Just as in private business, customers of agencies such as ours, the Bureau of Land Management, deserve to know just what they are getting for their money.
To start, more than 9,000 BLM employees were involuntarily sent home during the November partial shutdown. Our day-to-day work came to a halt. Here's just a sampling of what that meant to the citizens we serve:
- The BLM collects about $750,000 each day from timber and mineral sales, grazing leases and other uses of the public lands. Some goes to the general Treasury and up to half goes directly back to communities where these activities take place.
- The BLM administers mineral leases that generate more than $4-4 million in revenue each day. Up to half of that money is returned to the states where these leases are located.
- The BLM issues an average of 100 permits daily for recreational activities on the public lands, such as boating and off-highway vehicle races. These permits ensure that both the land and human safety are protected.
- The BLM also issues hundreds of permits daily that allow people to use the public lands for such activities as wood gathering, Christmas tree cutting and seed harvesting. No permits could be issued during the shutdown.
- BLM employees assist and educate visitors about historic and cultural values at 56 interpretive sites and visitors centers throughout the West. Thousands of people visit these sites each day.
- Employees assist campers and operate long- and short-term camping facilities that host an average of 180,000 people a day on public lands.
- The BLM issues an average of 12 rights-of-way applications each day that allow such community services as telephone lines, electric transmission lines and pipelines across public lands. Rights-of-way often provide access to private lands where timber, mining or other industrial work is taking place, as well.
- BLM employees inspect oil and gas well operations on 300 leases each day ensuring public health and safety. These inspections also help make sure that proper rents and royalties are being paid to the Treasury and that environmental safeguards are being employed.
In addition, other important work that is harder to quantify is done on a daily basis. For instance, during the shutdown in November:
- Work on important environmental projects came to a halt. Examples include fish and wildlife habitat improvements for a variety of species, including those threatened or endangered, such as the salmon in the Pacific Northwest.
- BLM employees couldn't provide the public with thousands of maps and other informational materials each day that enable people to work and play on the public lands.
- Federal land surveys needed to determine where industrial, recreational and other activities can take place were not done.
- Wild-horse adoptions were canceled, disappointing people who had agreed to care for these animals that once roamed the West's public lands.
- Some time-sensitive range projects, such as fire rehabilitation, were shut down during excellent weather conditions. This affects the quality of forage for livestock, wildlife and watershed.
The men and women who work for the BLM provide services important to a wide variety of people who enjoy or earn their living from the public lands.
While a shutdown may not affect everyone in obvious ways, the health of the public lands, and the livelihoods and leisure time of people are hurt.
During these times of public debate about the role of the government and what services we should provide, we want Americans to know we're doing our best to give you your money's worth.