Shortchanging Taxpayers On Energy

DOI Budget Focus on Energy Development Accelerates Taxpayer Losses

Feb 12, 2018 | 1 min read | Print Article

In total, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is requesting $11.7 billion for FY 2019. That is roughly $580 million less than the last full-year appropriation in FY 2017, and $60 million less than last year’s request.

In its budget message, the administration emphasizes its focus on energy development in the DOI request. In fact, amid its proposed cuts to the department overall and the Bureau of Land Management, the budget requests $185 million for the Energy and Minerals program, which is $12 million more than FY17, and $7.6 million more than last year’s budget. The biggest plus-up goes to oil and gas management (see below). Part of that is earmarked for initializing oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, after it was authorized in a provision attached to the 2017 tax law.

For years, TCS has reported on the enormous and costly failings of the DOI’s mineral leasing programs. Whether you’re looking at coal, oil and gas, wind, or solar, DOI repeatedly shortchanges taxpayers with its current energy programs. Increasing the budget for these programs to fast track development instead of moving towards reforming the broken systems would mean accelerating losses for taxpayers.

Funding Item ($, thousands)	FY17 Omnibus	FY18 Request	FY19 Request
Energy and Minerals Management	172,846	177,399	184,966
Oil and gas	121,939	130,049	137,223
Coal management	10,868	19,015	19,533
Other mineral resources	10,978	12,043	12,167
Renewable energy	29,061	16,292	16,043