On October 15, 2024, DOI announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received $17.6 million in IRA funding to expand ecosystem monitoring, inventory, and assessment activities on public lands and in public waters. The purpose of the funding is to improve the Bureau’s understanding of the health of public lands. The funding will be allocated towards (1) expanding the interagency agreement to monitor rangelands in western states between the BLM and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service; (2) partnering with states to expand monitoring of streams, rivers, wetlands, and riparian areas; and (3) hiring additional staff to build capacity for interpreting and analyzing the data resulting from the increased monitoring activities.
IRA sections 50221 and 50222 designate funding for projects on national park and BLM-managed land.