Wednesday, April 5, 2017
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has outlined that President Trump’s $11.6-billion 2017 budget blueprint request for the Department of the Interior meets the department’s core mission while also saving taxpayers $1.5 billion, or a 12% reduction, from the 2017 annualized continuing resolution level. 
The president’s budget prioritizes America’s energy security by increasing funding for programs that support responsible development of oil, natural gas, coal, and renewable energy on public lands and off-shore waters. The blueprint also sustains funding for the department’s collection and disbursement of about $10 billion annually for mineral development, an important source of revenue for the Treasury, states, and Indian mineral owners.
The president’s budget directly supports funding for land management operations for the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management, ensuring streamlined operations and greater access to public lands for multiple uses, including recreation, conservation, and responsible development of natural resources. The budget ensures National Park Service assets are preserved for future generations by increasing investment in deferred maintenance projects.
“America’s public lands are our national treasures and the president’s budget sends a strong signal that we will protect and responsibly manage these vast areas of our country for the benefit and the enjoyment of the people,” Zinke said.
The 2018 budget blueprint also eliminates some duplicative programs, including discretionary abandoned mine land grants that overlap existing mandatory grants, national heritage areas that are more appropriately funded at the local level, and national wildlife refuge fund payments to local governments that overlap other payment programs. The budget reduces land acquisition funding by more than $120 million and focuses available discretionary funds on investing in and maintaining existing parks, refuges, and public lands.
The president’s budget prioritizes America’s energy security by increasing funding for programs that support responsible development of oil, natural gas, coal, and renewable energy on public lands and off-shore waters. The blueprint also sustains funding for the department’s collection and disbursement of about $10 billion annually for mineral development, an important source of revenue for the Treasury, states, and Indian mineral owners.
The president’s budget directly supports funding for land management operations for the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management, ensuring streamlined operations and greater access to public lands for multiple uses, including recreation, conservation, and responsible development of natural resources. The budget ensures National Park Service assets are preserved for future generations by increasing investment in deferred maintenance projects.
“America’s public lands are our national treasures and the president’s budget sends a strong signal that we will protect and responsibly manage these vast areas of our country for the benefit and the enjoyment of the people,” Zinke said.
The 2018 budget blueprint also eliminates some duplicative programs, including discretionary abandoned mine land grants that overlap existing mandatory grants, national heritage areas that are more appropriately funded at the local level, and national wildlife refuge fund payments to local governments that overlap other payment programs. The budget reduces land acquisition funding by more than $120 million and focuses available discretionary funds on investing in and maintaining existing parks, refuges, and public lands.
