Issue areas include onshore energy resources, administration of hardrock mining, wildfire protection, management of wild horses and burros, designation of the National Landscape Conservation System, wilderness designation, management of national forest roadless areas, Forest Service implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), BLM land sales, and national forest planning. Many of these issues have been of interest to Congress and the nation for decades. Background

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Forest Service (FS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) manage 449 million acres of land, more than two-thirds of the land owned by the federal government and one-fifth of the total U.S. land area. This report focuses on several issues affecting the agencies' lands that appear to be of interest to the 111 th Congress, including access to energy resources, administration of hardrock mining, wildfire protection, wild horses and burros management, the National Landscape Conservation System, wilderness designation, protection and use of national forest roadless areas and FS implementation of NEPA. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct05, P.L. Shortly before the end of the Bush Administration, the BLM recommended an oil and gas lease sale of 241 parcels on about 360,000 acres in Utah. Legislative Activity

Numerous bills have been introduced to provide a framework and incentives for developing renewable energy. The Secretary would have the authority to withdraw land from entry under the General Mining Law of 1872 based on specified criteria and would revise land use plans as appropriate to allow for a withdrawal from operations under the 1872 Mining Law. In an effort to contain fire costs and to reduce the need to transfer funds from other programs to fire fighting, Congress and the Obama Administration have taken actions to alter the way funds are provided for wildland fires. FLAME bills ( H.R. 111-11 ). seeks to protect wild horses and burros on federal land and places them under the jurisdiction of the BLM and FS. Controversial issues include the method of determining the "appropriate management levels" (AMLs) for herd sizes, as the statute requires; whether and how to remove animals from the range to achieve AMLs; methods—other than adoption—for reducing animals on the range, particularly fertility control and holding animals in long-term facilities; whether appropriations for managing wild horses and burros are adequate; and the slaughter, or potential for slaughter, of horses. The 111 th Congress established the system legislatively (in P.L. 111-11 ). Legislative Activity

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( P.L. P.L. The Obama Administration has not issued any general rulings on wilderness and roadless area protection. The wilderness subtitles of P.L. Since 2003, the FS has expanded the types of activities that can be conducted without environmental review, increasing the number of types from 18 to 27. Judicial Action

Several of the CE regulations have been challenged in court (see below). 3339 as introduced would make FLTFA permanent. None of the pending bills would not make other changes in areas that have been under recent debate. National Forest Planning

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			Background

The FS is required by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA) to prepare comprehensive, integrated land and resource management plans for the national forests.
Congress, the Administration, and the courts are considering many issues related to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands and the Forest Service (FS) national forests. Key issues include the following.
Energy Resources. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) led to new regulations on federal land leasing for oil and gas, oil shale, geothermal, and renewable energy. The Obama Administration is reviewing some rules and has withdrawn certain oil and gas leases in Utah.
Hardrock Mining. The General Mining Law of 1872 allows prospecting for minerals in open public domain lands. Several bills to reform aspects of the Law have been introduced to require royalties on production and establish a fund to clean up abandoned mines, among other changes.
Wildfire Protection. Various initiatives seek to protect communities from wildfires by expanding fuel reduction, and one related program was established in P.L. 111-11. Cost concerns led to new fire suppression accounts in the FLAME Act (Title V of P.L. 111-88).
Wild Horses and Burros. To reduce program costs and the number of wild horses and burros on the range, the Secretary of the Interior has proposed wild horse preserves and increased fertility controls. Legislation would prohibit the slaughter of healthy wild horses and burros and more.
National Landscape Conservation System. The 111th Congress affirmed BLM's 27 million-acre land protection system by establishing it legislatively (P.L. 111-11). Questions focus on funding and management for these specially protected conservation areas.
Wilderness. P.L. 111-11 designated more than 2 million acres of wilderness, and more wilderness bills have been introduced. Many recommendations for wilderness areas are pending. Questions persist about wilderness review and managing wilderness study areas (WSAs).
National Forest System Roadless Areas. Debates persist about managing roadless areas for different values, and bills have been introduced to protect the areas. Regulations from previous administrations were challenged successfully, leading to potentially conflicting court rulings.
FS NEPA Application. The FS has altered its process for activity review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and has added activities that can be categorically excluded from reviews. Many of these changes and proposals have been challenged in court.
BLM Land Sales. The Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act authorizes the sale or exchange of BLM lands and use of the proceeds for certain land acquisitions. The authority was extended to July 25, 2011. H.R. 3339 would make the authorization permanent, while S. 1787 would extend it to 2020.
National Forest Planning. The National Forest Management Act of 1976 requires land and resource management plans for the national forests. Regulations from previous administrations have not been implemented, and the Obama Administration has begun a new rulemaking effort.