Introduction

This report focuses on FY2024 discretionary appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Issues for Congress include determining the amount of funding for agencies and programs in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill—often called the Interior bill—and the terms and conditions of such funding.

This report focuses on the regular (annual) appropriations for the Interior bill. It first presents a short overview of FY2024 legislative action. It next provides a brief comparison of FY2023 enacted appropriations and FY2024 appropriations requested by President Biden, included in H.R. 4821 as passed by the House, included in S. 2625 as reported by the Senate Committee on Appropriations,¹ and enacted into law. The report then provides an overview of the agencies and other entities funded in the Interior bill. Finally, the report contains a table showing appropriations by agency/entity for FY2023 enacted, FY2024 requested, FY2024 House-passed, FY2024 Senate Appropriations committee-reported, and FY2024 enacted. Agency and bill totals in this report generally reflect rescissions. In general, this report does not detail mandatory, supplemental, and advance appropriations.²

Appropriations are complex. Budget justifications for some agencies are large (often hundreds of pages long) and contain numerous funding, programmatic, and legislative changes for congressional consideration. Further, appropriations laws provide funds for numerous accounts, activities, and sub-activities, and their accompanying explanatory statements provide additional directives and other important information. This report does not provide in-depth information at the agency, account, and subaccount levels, nor does it generally detail budgetary reorganizations or legislative changes proposed or enacted for FY2024. For information on a particular agency or on individual accounts, programs, or activities administered by a particular agency, see the Congressional Research Service (CRS) products provided in footnotes throughout this report, or congressional clients may contact the key policy staff listed at the end of this report.³ In addition, selected reports related to appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, such as individual agencies (e.g., National Park Service) or crosscutting programs (e.g., Wildland Fire Management), are listed under "Interior & Environment Appropriations" on the "Appropriations" Issue Area page on the CRS website, which is available to congressional staff.⁴

Overview of FY2024 Legislative Action

For FY2024, President Biden requested $45.98 billion for the roughly three dozen agencies and entities funded in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. This total included $2.65 billion for certain wildfire suppression activities under an adjustment to discretionary spending limits for FY2024. Under law, an adjustment can be made to discretionary spending limits to accommodate enacted funding for wildfire suppression.⁵ For FY2024, $2.65 billion was the maximum. The total also contained $4.15 billion for the Indian Health Service,⁶ of which $1.20 billion was for two accounts that the President proposed to make mandatory spending.⁷ The request did not contain advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service for FY2025.

On November 3, 2023, the House passed H.R. 4821 with $28.84 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. This total included $2.65 billion for wildfire suppression under the discretionary cap adjustment, as requested by the President. This total also included $7.83 billion for the Indian Health Service, reflecting $5.88 billion in FY2025 advance appropriations for the agency.⁸ In earlier action, on July 24, 2023, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 4821, with $28.88 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies in FY2024.⁹

On July 27, 2023, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 2605, with $42.86 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for FY2024.¹⁰ (Hereinafter, this bill typically is referred to as the Senate committee-reported bill.) The Senate committee-reported total included $2.65 billion for wildfire suppression under the cap adjustment, identical to the President's request and the House-passed bill. This total also included $7.28 billion for the Indian Health Service, of which $5.23 billion was FY2025 advance appropriations for the agency.

On March 9, 2024, the President signed into law a measure containing $41.33 billion for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for FY2024. These appropriations were contained in Division E, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024, of P.L. 118-42, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. This total included $2.65 billion for wildfire suppression under the discretionary cap adjustment, as had been proposed by the President and included in House-passed and Senate committee-reported measures for FY2024. This total also included $7.02 billion for the Indian Health Service, including $5.19 billion in advance appropriations for the agency for FY2025.

As FY2024 appropriations had not been enacted at the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2023, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies received appropriations for FY2024 under continuing resolutions (CRs) that in general provided appropriations at FY2023 levels.¹¹ However, the CRs contained certain exceptions, for instance, for wildland firefighter management and pay.¹² The fourth CR, P.L. 118-40, provided funding for agencies in the Interior bill through March 22, 2024, unless different levels of appropriations were enacted earlier. Full year appropriations were enacted on March 9, 2024.

Brief Comparison of FY2023 and FY2024 Interior Appropriations

Different methods of comparing Interior appropriations would lead to varying dollar and percentage differences between FY2023 enacted and FY2024 appropriations. Using one comparative approach (discussed below), FY2023 enacted appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies were higher than FY2024 appropriations requested by the President, passed by the House (in H.R. 4821), reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee (in S. 2605), and enacted into law. Specifically, the FY2023 appropriation was $614.3 million higher than the FY2024 President's request, $17.75 billion higher than the FY2024 House-passed level, $3.74 billion higher than the FY2024 Senate committee-reported total, and $5.27 billion more than enacted for FY2024. Figure 2 and Table 1 detail this comparison.

Issues affecting comparisons of the two fiscal years, and comparisons among FY2024 amounts, relate to advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service and rescissions of appropriations, among other matters. With regard to the Indian Health Service, the FY2023 appropriation in this report ($12.06 billion) reflects new appropriations for FY2023 ($6.96 billion) and advance appropriations for FY2024 ($5.13 billion) that were enacted in the FY2023 appropriations law, as well as a rescission of $29.4 million.¹³ The FY2024 President's request ($4.15 billion) did not include advance appropriations for FY2025.¹⁴ The FY2024 House-passed level ($7.83 billion), Senate committee-reported level ($7.28 billion), and enacted level ($7.02 billion) in this report reflect new appropriations for FY2024 and advance appropriations for FY2025. Further, the FY2023 enacted amount for the Indian Health Service is higher than the FY2024 levels in large part because FY2023 was the first year for which advance appropriations (for FY2024) were provided. Accordingly, the FY2023 enacted amount reflects the entirety of funding for one fiscal year—FY2023—as well as partial funding for FY2024 (i.e., the advance funding). By contrast, the FY2024 amounts in this report do not reflect the entirety of funding for one fiscal year.¹⁵

Figure 2. Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, by Major Title, FY2023-FY2024

Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Notes: In general, amounts reflected in the figure represent regular annual appropriations for the pertinent fiscal year (FY2023 or FY2024), rescissions of prior year appropriations, and advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service (in Title III). More specifically, the FY2023 enacted amount reflects rescissions of $42.7 million, including $13.3 million in Title II and $29.4 million in Title III. The FY2024 House-passed total of $28.84 billion reflects $9.37 billion in rescissions in Title IV. The FY2024 Senate Appropriations committee-reported total of $42.86 billion reflects rescissions of $466.0 million, including $14.5 million in Title I, $1.5 million in Title II, and $450.0 million in Title IV. The FY2024 enacted total of $41.33 billion reflects rescissions of $563.0 million, including $27.5 million in Title I, $1.5 million in Title II, and $534.0 million in Title IV.

With regard to rescissions, the total FY2023 and FY2024 Interior bill appropriations in this report reflect rescissions of prior year appropriations. The FY2024 House-passed total ($28.84 billion) contained the largest amount. It included $9.37 billion in rescissions in several sections of Title IV of H.R. 4821 and another reduction in Title IV, totaling $9.39 billion.¹⁶ The rescissions pertained to a greenhouse gas reduction fund, environmental and climate justice grants, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the National Park Service. They are treated as an offset to new appropriations in the bill. A comparison of new appropriations only would reduce the difference between the FY2024 amounts in this report and the FY2023 enacted level.¹⁷

Overview of Agencies in the Bill

The annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes funding and other provisions for agencies and programs in three federal departments and for numerous related agencies. The Interior bill typically contains three primary appropriations titles and a fourth title with general provisions.¹⁸ Title I provides funding for most agencies in the Department of the Interior (DOI),¹⁹ many of which manage land and other natural resource or regulatory programs. Title I also typically includes general provisions related to DOI agencies. Title II contains appropriations and administrative provisions for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Title III, Related Agencies, generally funds about two dozen other entities, including the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture; the Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services; arts and cultural agencies, including the Smithsonian Institution; and various other organizations and entities. Title III also contains administrative provisions for some agencies funded therein. Title IV, General Provisions, typically contains additional guidance and direction for agencies in the bill. The following sections briefly describe selected major agencies in the Interior bill.

Title I. Department of the Interior²⁰

DOI's mission is to conserve and manage the nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provide scientific and other information about those resources; and exercise trust responsibilities and other commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities.²¹ There are nine major DOI agencies and two other broad accounts funded in the Interior bill that carry out this mission. Hereinafter, these 11 entities are referred to collectively as the DOI agencies. The DOI agencies and their functions funded in the FY2024 Interior bill included the following:

• The Bureau of Land Management administers about 245 million acres of federal public land, mostly in the West, for diverse uses such as energy and mineral development, livestock grazing, recreation, and preservation. The agency also administers roughly 713 million acres of federal onshore subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation and supervises the mineral operations on Indian trust lands.²²
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers 89 million acres of federal land within the National Wildlife Refuge System and other areas,²³ including 77 million acres in Alaska. It also manages several large marine refuges and marine national monuments, sometimes jointly with other federal agencies. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, together with the National Marine Fisheries Service (Department of Commerce), is responsible for implementing the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §§1531 et seq.); promoting wildlife habitat; enforcing federal wildlife laws; supporting wildlife and ecosystem science; conserving migratory birds; administering grants to aid state fish and wildlife programs; and coordinating with state, international, and other federal agencies on fish and wildlife issues.²⁴
• The National Park Service administers more than 80 million acres of federal land within the National Park System, including 429 separate units in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Roughly two-thirds of the system's lands are in Alaska. The National Park Service has a dual mission—to preserve unique resources and to provide for their enjoyment by the public. The agency also supports and promotes some resource conservation activities outside the National Park System through grant and technical assistance programs and cooperation with partners.²⁵
• The U.S. Geological Survey is a science agency that provides physical and biological information related to geological resources; natural hazards; climate and land use change; and energy, mineral, water, and biological sciences and resources. In addition, it is the federal government's principal civilian mapping agency (e.g., topographical and geological mapping) and a primary source of data on the quantity and quality of the nation's water resources (e.g., streamgaging).²⁶
• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management manages development of the nation's offshore conventional and renewable energy resources in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska region. These resources are in areas covering approximately 2.5 billion acres located beyond state waters. This acreage is off all coastal states, although much of it (more than 1 billion acres) is in the Alaska region.²⁷
• The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement provides regulatory and safety oversight for resource development on the outer continental shelf. Among the bureau's responsibilities are oil and gas permitting, facility inspections, environmental compliance, and oil spill response planning.²⁸
• The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement works with states and tribes to reclaim abandoned coal mining sites. The agency also regulates active coal mining sites to minimize environmental impacts during mining and to reclaim affected lands and waters after mining.²⁹
• The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides and funds various services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The agency is responsible for programs that include government operations, courts, law enforcement, fire protection, social programs, roads, economic development, employment assistance, housing repair, irrigation, dams, Indian rights protection, implementation of land and water settlements, and management of trust assets (real estate and natural resources).³⁰
• The Bureau of Indian Education funds and provides education to Indian tribes and Alaska Natives. The agency funds an elementary and secondary school system, institutions of higher education, and other educational programs.³¹
• Departmental Offices covers diverse offices and programs. In the FY2024 appropriations law, it covered the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, Insular Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor, and the Office of Inspector General.³²
• Department-Wide Programs covers varied programs and entities. In the FY2024 appropriations law, it covered DOI Wildland Fire Management,³³ the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Energy Community Revitalization Program, the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund, the Working Capital Fund, and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue.³⁴

Title II. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA administers various environmental statutes that have an express or general objective to protect human health and the environment.³⁵ Primary responsibilities include the implementation of federal statutes regulating air quality, water quality, drinking water safety, pesticides, toxic substances, management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and cleanup of environmental contamination. EPA awards grants to assist states and local governments in implementing federal law and complying with federal requirements to control pollution. The agency also administers programs that provide financial assistance for public wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects.³⁶

Title III. Related Agencies

In FY2024, Title III of the Interior bill funded about two dozen agencies, organizations, and other entities collectively referred to as the related agencies. Among the related agencies funded in the Interior bill, roughly 95% of the funding typically is provided to the following:

• The Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture manages 193 million acres of federal land within the National Forest System—consisting of national forests, national grasslands, and other areas—in 43 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It also provides technical and financial assistance to states, tribes, and private forest landowners and conducts research on sustaining forest resources for future generations.³⁷
• The Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services provides medical and environmental health services for approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Health care is provided through a system of more than 600 hospitals, clinics, and health stations on or near Indian reservations. The agency, tribes and tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations operate these facilities and programs.³⁸
• The Smithsonian Institution is a museum, education, and research complex consisting of 21 museums, the National Zoological Park (National Zoo), and several research facilities throughout the United States and around the world.³⁹ Established by federal legislation in 1846 with the acceptance of a trust donation by the institution's namesake benefactor, the Smithsonian is funded by both federal appropriations and a private trust.⁴⁰
• The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities make up the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities. The National Endowment for the Arts is a major federal source of support for all arts disciplines. Since 1965, it has awarded more than 145,000 grants, which have been distributed to all states. The National Endowment for the Humanities generally supports grants for humanities education, research, preservation, and public humanities programs; creation of regional humanities centers; and development of humanities programs under the jurisdiction of state humanities councils. Since 1965, it has awarded more than 64,000 grants. It also supports a Challenge Grant program to stimulate and match private donations in support of humanities institutions.⁴¹