The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( P.L. 111-5 , H.R. 1 ) is a broad economic recovery measure with $787 billion in tax cuts and spending. Among the purposes of the law are preserving and creating jobs; promoting economic recovery; and making investments in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits. The economic stimulus law included funds for certain accounts and activities of the four major federal land management agencies. These agencies are the Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS), all within the Department of the Interior (DOI). In total, the law contained $2.50 billion for these agencies. The agencies received different amounts of this total: $320.0 million for BLM, $280.0 million for FWS, $750.0 million for NPS, and $1,150.0 million for FS. These appropriations represented varying percentages of each agency's FY2009 regular annual appropriation, ranging from about a fifth to a third of the total appropriation: 31% for BLM, 19% for FWS, 30% for NPS, and 24% for FS. The economic stimulus law did not provide geographic requirements for how the funds for these agencies were to be allocated, which is consistent with past practice. The Senate originally had approved a slightly lower total for the four land management agencies—$2.49 billion—while the House had passed a higher amount—$3.93 billion. (See Table 1 .) In general, the law contained levels of appropriations for accounts and activities of the four agencies that were closer to the levels originally approved by the Senate rather than by the House. The funds enacted for the federal land management agencies are the focus of this report. This report includes a comparison of the House and Senate provisions for the land management agencies, as contained in Title VIII of the House-passed version of H.R. 1 and Title VII of the Senate-passed version of the bill. The federal government owns and manages approximately 650 million acres of land in the United States, about 29% of the total land base of 2.27 billion acres. Four federal agencies—FS, BLM, FWS, and NPS—manage about 615 million acres (94%) of this land. These agencies manage lands for a variety of purposes, primarily related to preservation, recreation, and development of natural resources. There are similarities among the agencies, but each agency has a distinct mission and special responsibilities for the lands under its jurisdiction. The NPS administers the National Park System for recreational use of parklands and preservation of park resources. The FWS manages wildlife refuges primarily for conserving plants and animals, with other uses to the extent that they are compatible. The BLM manages the National System of Public Lands, and the FS manages the National Forest System, for sustained yields of similar multiple uses for both agencies, including grazing, recreation, timber, water, and fish and wildlife. Many forests and public lands also are available for mineral exploration and development. Funding for the four federal land management agencies is provided in the annual appropriations laws for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Regular annual appropriations for FY2009 for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies were included in P.L. 111-8 . In addition, a number of permanently appropriated trust funds and special accounts fund activities of these agencies. While action on a regular annual appropriations bill for FY2009 proceeded on a separate track, economic stimulus legislation was enacted ( P.L. 111-5 ) with appropriations for the federal land management agencies. Among the general provisions, the law provided emergency funding for FY2009, with the monies available for obligation until September 30, 2010 (the end of FY2010) unless otherwise specified. The appropriations provisions in the law for the land management agencies did not specify different periods of obligation. In comparison, in the FY2009 regular annual appropriations law, many of the land management accounts that were funded by P.L. 111-5 received appropriations that would remain available until expended; other accounts received appropriations that were available for only one or two fiscal years. The economic stimulus law also stated that it shall have no effect on the availability of funds under the FY2009 continuing appropriations resolution ( P.L. 110-329 , Division A), and that appropriations are in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year involved. Under general provisions in P.L. 111-5 , agencies are to begin activities and spending the funds "as quickly as possible consistent with prudent management." With regard to funds for infrastructure, recipients are to give preference to activities "that can be started and completed expeditiously," with a goal of using at least 50% of the monies for activities that can be started within 120 days of enactment. The law required that each agency receiving funding in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies title is to notify the House and Senate Appropriations Committees as to how the monies are to be spent. Specifically, it provided that each such agency is to submit to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, within 30 days of enactment, a general plan for the expenditure of the funds. Each agency also is to submit to the committees, within 90 days of enactment, a report "containing detailed project level information associated with the general plan." The law authorized each agency receiving funding in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies title to transfer up to 10% of the funds in any account to other accounts within the agency, if certain conditions were met. The conditions are that the agency head "determines that the transfer will enhance the efficiency or effectiveness of the use of the funds without changing the intended purpose," and notifies the House and Senate Appropriations Committees "10 days prior to the transfer." The original House-passed version of H.R. 1 had contained different language allowing for transfer of some of the appropriations among accounts. For example, for each construction account, the House-passed version had provided that the funds could be transferred to the main resource account of the respective agency; however, the BLM language allowed for transfer to "other appropriate accounts." The House-passed version of H.R. 1 had identified a certain percentage of each appropriation that could be used for program management and oversight. In general, the House provision had provided that up to 0.5% of each appropriation in the bill may be used for management and oversight of the programs, grants, and activities funded by the appropriation, unless other provision is made in the act. This provision was not included in P.L. 111-5 for appropriations generally. Specifically for the land management agencies, the House-passed language for each appropriation provided that not more than 5% of the appropriation shall be used for program management and oversight. This provision also was not included in the measure as enacted. However, the conferees on the bill expressed that funds for administrative and support costs of activities funded in the Interior title are not to exceed 5% of any specific appropriation, unless otherwise specified. They further cautioned agencies against permanent increases to their staff levels in favor of temporary, term, or contract personnel to handle the increased workload resulting from the additional funds provided in the law. The balance of this report discusses the particular appropriations provided by P.L. 111-5 for the land management agencies as well as related issues. Funds are provided in the law for three primary purposes: construction, resource management, and wildland fire management. The original House-passed version of H.R. 1 had included funds for the NPS Centennial Challenge, which also is covered below. As shown in Table 1 and discussed in the remainder of this report, there were a number of significant differences between the original House- and Senate-passed bills, regarding both the composition of funding (i.e., activities to be funded) and the appropriations levels provided. The economic stimulus law provided an appropriation to each of the four land management agencies for construction. Traditionally, while the construction accounts of the agencies have not been used for identical purposes, they have funded the construction, repair, and maintenance of buildings, roads, and other physical facilities. Each of the agencies has substantial physical assets. For instance, an inventory of physical assets within the National Park System identified more than 1,800 bridges and tunnels, 26,000 historic structures (including historic buildings), 7,590 public use and administrative buildings, 770 campgrounds, 8,500 monuments and statues, 500 dams, 680 water systems and waste water collection systems, 200 solid waste systems, 5,300 family housing units, approximately 5,450 paved miles of public park roads, the equivalent of 948 paved miles of parking areas, 6,544 miles of unpaved roads, and 1,679 associated road structures. Many of the older assets present particular challenges, and NPS construction funds often are targeted for correction of critical health and safety problems. P.L. 111-5 contained a total of $1.53 billion for construction for the agencies. This construction total, and in general the funds provided in the law for each agency, were significantly larger than have been provided for construction in recent annual appropriations laws. With regard to the totals, construction funds for the four agencies in the last two fiscal years were less than $800 million—with totals of $797.8 million in FY2008 and $757.0 million in FY2009.