U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced today that Interior’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), disbursed $159.09 million in Fiscal Year 2020 energy revenues to Louisiana.
“President Trump signed the single largest investment in our public lands with the Great American Outdoors Act, which was historic in fully and permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Revenues from energy production provide the funding for the LWCF, supporting critical conservation needs across the country,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “Importantly, these disbursements also go right back to the states and Tribes where the energy was produced, providing critical funding for schools, public services, conservation improvements and infrastructure projects that create good-paying American jobs.”
In total ONRR disbursed $8.08 billion in Fiscal Year 2020 from energy production on offshore areas and federal and American Indian lands. Despite this year’s pandemic, that figure represents an increase of nearly 30% over 2016 totals disbursed at the end of the previous Administration.
ONRR disbursed $1.81 billion of the FY 2020 energy revenues to 34 states, a cumulative share of revenues collected from oil, gas and mineral production on federal lands within their borders and from offshore oil and gas tracts in federal waters adjacent to their shores. Louisiana ranked third in the country for FY 2020 receipts. The FY 2020 disbursement represents the most that Louisiana has ever received.
All federal, non-renewable energy revenues are collected, accounted for, analyzed, audited and disbursed by Interior’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue. The revenues are derived from energy and mineral leases and other monies owed for the use of public resources on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and onshore federal and American Indian lands. Since 1982, ONRR has disbursed more than $322.78 billion in mineral leasing revenues. ONRR makes most disbursements monthly from the royalties, rents and bonuses it collects from energy and mineral companies operating on federal lands and waters.
In addition to state disbursements, $1 billion was disbursed to American Indian Tribes and individual Indian mineral owners; $1.05 billion to the Reclamation Fund; $980 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF); $150 million to the Historic Preservation Fund; $208 million to federal agencies; and $2.88 billion to the U.S. Treasury. The Gulf producing states and coastal political subdivisions will receive disbursements of FY 2021 qualified revenues in FY 2022, as required by the legislation.
Offshore oil and gas revenues are the primary source of funding for the LWCF, and on August 4, 2020, President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law. The GAOA guarantees the permanent and full funding of the LWCF at $900 million per year to invest in conservation and recreation opportunities across the country.