Feds to pay local governments $465 million for 2017 land use

The U.S. Department of the Interior will pay nearly $465 million this year to local governments primarily in rural areas that have come to rely on the funds because they cannot levy taxes on federal lands. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the sum in Nevada on Monday. The $13 million increase this year is slightly less than the average annual growth of $22 million over the last decade. Most of the money goes to Western states, where the Interior Department collects most its $8.8 billion in annual revenue from commercial activities on public lands. California will see more than $48 million this year from the program. Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Utah will each receive between $30 million and $40 million.