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{{Organization
|OrganizationName=Bureau of Land Management
|OrganizationType=Executive Departments
|Mission=The BLM sustains the health, diversity, and productivity of America's public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. It manages these lands for multiple uses that include energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and wildlife habitat conservation.
|ParentOrganization=Department of the Interior
|TopOrganization=Department of the Interior
|CreationLegislation=Taylor Grazing Act of 1934; Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1946
|Employees=10000
|Budget=$1.3 billion (Fiscal Year 2024)
|OrganizationExecutive=Director
|Services=Land management; Resource conservation; Wildlife habitat management; Recreation management; Wildfire prevention and management
|Regulations=Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA); National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Endangered Species Act; Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
|HeadquartersLocation=38.89392, -77.04265
|HeadquartersAddress=1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240
|Website=https://www.blm.gov
}}
{{short description|Agency within the US Department of the Interior}}
{{short description|Agency within the US Department of the Interior}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
 
{{Infobox government agency
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name    = Bureau of Land Management
| agency_name    = Bureau of Land Management
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The '''Bureau of Land Management''' ('''BLM''') is an agency within the [[United States Department of the Interior]] responsible for administering [[federal lands|U.S. federal lands]].  Headquartered in [[Washington, D.C.]], the BLM oversees more than {{convert|247.3|e6acre|km2}} of land, or one-eighth of the United States's total landmass.<ref name="stats1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/ |title=Public Land Statistics |publisher=BLM |access-date=November 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105050127/http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/ |archive-date=November 5, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The '''Bureau of Land Management''' ('''BLM''') is an agency within the [[United States Department of the Interior]] responsible for administering [[federal lands|U.S. federal lands]].  Headquartered in [[Washington, D.C.]], the BLM oversees more than {{convert|247.3|e6acre|km2}} of land, or one-eighth of the United States's total landmass.<ref name="stats1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/ |title=Public Land Statistics |publisher=BLM |access-date=November 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105050127/http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/ |archive-date=November 5, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


The Bureau was created by [[United States Congress|Congress]] during the presidency of [[Harry S. Truman]] in 1946 by combining two existing agencies: the [[United States General Land Office]] and the [[United States Grazing Service|Grazing Service]].<ref name="montana3">{{Cite thesis |last=Elliott |first=Clayton R. |title=Innovation in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management: Insights from Integrating Mule Deer Management with Oil and Gas Leasing (Masters Thesis) |date=August 2010 |publisher=[[University of Montana]] |pages=42–51 |hdl=2027.42/77588|type=Thesis }}</ref> The agency manages the federal government's nearly {{convert|700|e6acre|km2}} of subsurface [[Mineral rights|mineral estate]] located beneath federal, state and private lands severed from their surface rights by the [[Homestead Act of 1862]].<ref name=montana3 /> Most BLM public lands are located in these 12 [[Western United States|western]] states: [[Alaska]], [[Arizona]], [[California]], [[Colorado]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Nevada]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oregon]], [[Utah]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and [[Wyoming]].<ref name="cali">{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/about_blm/history.print.html |title=History of the BLM: Yesterday and Today |publisher=BLM California |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127214504/http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/about_blm/history.print.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref>
The Bureau was created by [[United States Congress|Congress]] during the presidency of Harry S. Truman in 1946 by combining two existing agencies: the [[United States General Land Office]] and the [[United States Grazing Service|Grazing Service]].<ref name="montana3">{{Cite thesis |last=Elliott |first=Clayton R. |title=Innovation in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management: Insights from Integrating Mule Deer Management with Oil and Gas Leasing (Masters Thesis) |date=August 2010 |publisher=[[University of Montana]] |pages=42–51 |hdl=2027.42/77588|type=Thesis }}</ref> The agency manages the federal government's nearly {{convert|700|e6acre|km2}} of subsurface [[Mineral rights|mineral estate]] located beneath federal, state and private lands severed from their surface rights by the [[Homestead Act of 1862]].<ref name=montana3 /> Most BLM public lands are located in these 12 [[Western United States|western]] states: [[Alaska]], [[Arizona]], [[California]], [[Colorado]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Nevada]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oregon]], [[Utah]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and [[Wyoming]].<ref name="cali">{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/about_blm/history.print.html |title=History of the BLM: Yesterday and Today |publisher=BLM California |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127214504/http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/about_blm/history.print.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref>


The mission of the BLM is "to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM.print.html |title=The Bureau of Land Management: Who We Are, What We Do |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127214355/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM.print.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref> Originally BLM holdings were described as "land nobody wanted" because homesteaders had passed them by.<ref name=cali /> All the same, ranchers hold nearly 18,000 permits and leases for livestock grazing on {{convert|155|e6acre|km2}} of BLM public lands.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/grazing.html |title=Fact Sheet on the BLM's Management of Livestock Grazing |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129063736/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/grazing.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref> The agency manages 221 [[wilderness area]]s, 29 [[National monument (United States)|national monuments]] and some 636 other protected areas as part of the [[National Conservation Lands]] (formerly known as the National Landscape Conservation System), totaling about {{convert|36|e6acre|km2}}.<ref name="BLMconservation">{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html |title=National Conservation Lands |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122114910/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html |archive-date=November 22, 2016 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref> In addition the National Conservation Lands include nearly 2,400 miles of [[National Wild and Scenic Rivers System|Wild and Scenic Rivers]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/wild-and-scenic-rivers |title=Programs: National Conservation Lands: Wild and Scenic Rivers {{!}} BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT |date=September 30, 2016 |website=www.blm.gov |language=en |access-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207122507/https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/wild-and-scenic-rivers |archive-date=February 7, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and nearly 6,000 miles of [[National Trails System|National Scenic and Historic Trails]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-scenic-and-historic-trails |title=Programs: National Conservation Lands: National Scenic and Historic Trails {{!}} BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT |date=September 30, 2016 |website=www.blm.gov |language=en |access-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130010204/https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-scenic-and-historic-trails |archive-date=January 30, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are more than 63,000 oil and gas wells on BLM public lands. Total energy leases generated approximately $5.4 billion in 2013, an amount divided among the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury]], the states, and [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] groups.<ref name="stats2">See Part 3 of the BLM's Public Land Statistics, "Commercial Uses and Revenue Generated"</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas.html |title=Oil and Gas |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127214615/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy.html |title=New Energy for America |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206051031/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy.html |archive-date=February 6, 2015 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref>
The mission of the BLM is "to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM.print.html |title=The Bureau of Land Management: Who We Are, What We Do |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127214355/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/About_BLM.print.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref> Originally BLM holdings were described as "land nobody wanted" because homesteaders had passed them by.<ref name=cali /> All the same, ranchers hold nearly 18,000 permits and leases for livestock grazing on {{convert|155|e6acre|km2}} of BLM public lands.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/grazing.html |title=Fact Sheet on the BLM's Management of Livestock Grazing |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129063736/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/grazing.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref> The agency manages 221 [[wilderness area]]s, 29 [[National monument (United States)|national monuments]] and some 636 other protected areas as part of the [[National Conservation Lands]] (formerly known as the National Landscape Conservation System), totaling about {{convert|36|e6acre|km2}}.<ref name="BLMconservation">{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html |title=National Conservation Lands |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122114910/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html |archive-date=November 22, 2016 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref> In addition the National Conservation Lands include nearly 2,400 miles of [[National Wild and Scenic Rivers System|Wild and Scenic Rivers]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/wild-and-scenic-rivers |title=Programs: National Conservation Lands: Wild and Scenic Rivers {{!}} BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT |date=September 30, 2016 |website=www.blm.gov |language=en |access-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207122507/https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/wild-and-scenic-rivers |archive-date=February 7, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and nearly 6,000 miles of [[National Trails System|National Scenic and Historic Trails]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-scenic-and-historic-trails |title=Programs: National Conservation Lands: National Scenic and Historic Trails {{!}} BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT |date=September 30, 2016 |website=www.blm.gov |language=en |access-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130010204/https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-scenic-and-historic-trails |archive-date=January 30, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are more than 63,000 oil and gas wells on BLM public lands. Total energy leases generated approximately $5.4 billion in 2013, an amount divided among the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury]], the states, and [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] groups.<ref name="stats2">See Part 3 of the BLM's Public Land Statistics, "Commercial Uses and Revenue Generated"</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas.html |title=Oil and Gas |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127214615/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas.html |archive-date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy.html |title=New Energy for America |publisher=BLM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206051031/http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy.html |archive-date=February 6, 2015 |access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref>
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Also in August 2020, the BLM headquarters was relocated to [[Grand Junction, Colorado]], by an order signed by Interior Secretary [[David Bernhardt]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Staff|url=https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-secures-site-western-leadership-office|title=BLM secures site for Western leadership office|website=BLM.gov|date=September 20, 2019 |access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> The relocation was praised by Republican Western politicians but criticized by Democrats as a move to weaken the agency through the loss of experienced staffers, who opted to stay in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Donoghue |first=Amy Joi |date=August 11, 2020 |title=Bureau of Land Management officially relocates to new home in Colorado |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/8/11/21363659/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-relocated-colorado-blm-grand-junction |work=[[Deseret News]] |access-date=August 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Beitsch |first=Rebecca |date=August 10, 2020 |title=Interior finalizes public lands agency HQ move out West over congressional objections |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/511371-interior-finalizes-public-lands-agency-hq-move-out-west-over |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=August 12, 2020}}</ref> Some ranchers were concerned about the isolation of Grand Junction compared to other Western cities, having limited flights and road access.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grand Junction is 'darn hard to get to': ranchers split on public lands agency's move west {{!}} Environment {{!}} The Guardian|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/11/bureau-land-management-public-lands-west-colorado|access-date=2020-12-23|website=amp.theguardian.com}}</ref> After the announcement, 87% of D.C.-based employees left, prompting former lead career BLM official Steve Ellis to state "the bureau lost a tremendous amount of expertise...[of] very seasoned people."<ref>{{cite news |last=Beitsch |first=Rebecca |date=January 28, 2021 |title=Bureau of Land Management exodus: Agency lost 87 percent of staff in Trump HQ relocation |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/536384-blm-exodus-agency-lost-87-percent-of-staff-in-trump-relocation |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=July 19, 2021}}</ref>
Also in August 2020, the BLM headquarters was relocated to [[Grand Junction, Colorado]], by an order signed by Interior Secretary [[David Bernhardt]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Staff|url=https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-secures-site-western-leadership-office|title=BLM secures site for Western leadership office|website=BLM.gov|date=September 20, 2019 |access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> The relocation was praised by Republican Western politicians but criticized by Democrats as a move to weaken the agency through the loss of experienced staffers, who opted to stay in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Donoghue |first=Amy Joi |date=August 11, 2020 |title=Bureau of Land Management officially relocates to new home in Colorado |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/8/11/21363659/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-relocated-colorado-blm-grand-junction |work=[[Deseret News]] |access-date=August 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Beitsch |first=Rebecca |date=August 10, 2020 |title=Interior finalizes public lands agency HQ move out West over congressional objections |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/511371-interior-finalizes-public-lands-agency-hq-move-out-west-over |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=August 12, 2020}}</ref> Some ranchers were concerned about the isolation of Grand Junction compared to other Western cities, having limited flights and road access.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grand Junction is 'darn hard to get to': ranchers split on public lands agency's move west {{!}} Environment {{!}} The Guardian|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/11/bureau-land-management-public-lands-west-colorado|access-date=2020-12-23|website=amp.theguardian.com}}</ref> After the announcement, 87% of D.C.-based employees left, prompting former lead career BLM official Steve Ellis to state "the bureau lost a tremendous amount of expertise...[of] very seasoned people."<ref>{{cite news |last=Beitsch |first=Rebecca |date=January 28, 2021 |title=Bureau of Land Management exodus: Agency lost 87 percent of staff in Trump HQ relocation |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/536384-blm-exodus-agency-lost-87-percent-of-staff-in-trump-relocation |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=July 19, 2021}}</ref>


On September 17, 2021, Secretary [[Deb Haaland]] announced that the headquarters would be moved back to Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1438965957809016837|user=USInteriorPress |author=US Interior Press Team |title=Today, @SecDebHaaland announced next steps to rebuild and strengthen @BLMNational, including plans to restore the national headquarters to Washington, D.C. and expand the Western headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado.|date=September 17, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405075858/https://twitter.com/USInteriorPress/status/1438965957809016837 |archive-date= Apr 5, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |number=1438966794656567296 |user=SecDebHaaland |author=Secretary Deb Haaland |title=The Bureau of Land Management is critical to the nation's efforts to address the climate crisis and expanding access to public lands. The bureau must have access to the policy, budget, and decision-making levers to best carry out its mission. |date=September 17, 2021 |bot=TweetCiteBot}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-return-washington/index.html|title = Bureau of Land Management headquarters to return to Washington, DC|website = [[CNN]]| date=September 17, 2021 |first1=Liz |last1=Stark |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327002358/http://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-return-washington/index.html |archive-date= Mar 27, 2023 }}</ref>
On September 17, 2021, Secretary [[Deb Haaland]] announced that the headquarters would be moved back to Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1438965957809016837|user=USInteriorPress |author=US Interior Press Team |title=Today, @SecDebHaaland announced next steps to rebuild and strengthen @BLMNational, including plans to restore the national headquarters to Washington, D.C. and expand the Western headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado.|date=September 17, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405075858/https://twitter.com/USInteriorPress/status/1438965957809016837 |archive-date= Apr 5, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |number=1438966794656567296 |user=SecDebHaaland |author=Secretary Deb Haaland |title=The Bureau of Land Management is critical to the nation's efforts to address the climate crisis and expanding access to public lands. The bureau must have access to the policy, budget, and decision-making levers to best carry out its mission. |date=September 17, 2021 |bot=TweetCiteBot}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-return-washington/index.html|title = Bureau of Land Management headquarters to return to Washington, DC|website = CNN| date=September 17, 2021 |first1=Liz |last1=Stark |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327002358/http://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/bureau-of-land-management-headquarters-return-washington/index.html |archive-date= Mar 27, 2023 }}</ref>


Under the Biden administration, the BLM is working on a pilot project called "outcomes-based grazing", to see if cattle grazing can help achieve conservation, agency director [[Tracy Stone-Manning]] said in an interview published in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Mohr  |first1=Kylie  |last2=Stone-Manning |first2=Tracy |date=2022-04-15 |title=Cows, coal and climate change: A Q&A with the new BLM director |url=https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/north-bureau-of-land-management-cows-coal-and-climate-change-a-q-a-with-the-new-blm-director |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=High Country News |language=en-us}}</ref>
Under the Biden administration, the BLM is working on a pilot project called "outcomes-based grazing", to see if cattle grazing can help achieve conservation, agency director [[Tracy Stone-Manning]] said in an interview published in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Mohr  |first1=Kylie  |last2=Stone-Manning |first2=Tracy |date=2022-04-15 |title=Cows, coal and climate change: A Q&A with the new BLM director |url=https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/north-bureau-of-land-management-cows-coal-and-climate-change-a-q-a-with-the-new-blm-director |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=High Country News |language=en-us}}</ref>
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