June 25, 2019

Manchin Announces More Than $3.3 Million From DOI PILT Program For West Virginia

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) today announced $3,358,360 from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Payment In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. The PILT program helps counties offset the loss of property taxes from public lands.

“West Virginia’s 1.1 million acres of public lands help drive our state’s tourism industry and economy. However, this treasured resource is also exempt from taxes, making it difficult for our rural towns and counties to raise money for essential services like education, law enforcement, and public health. By offsetting this lost revenue, the PILT program helps states like West Virginia invest back into our communities while also promoting our public lands. As Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I made sure West Virginia received this funding so we can continue to invest in our communities and grow our tourism industry. Like I always have, I understand the importance of public lands and will continue to fight for programs that invest in West Virginia,” said Senator Manchin.

Read below for a list of Senator Manchin’s most recent efforts related to PILT:

April 17, 2019 - Senator Manchin joined 36 of his colleagues in a letter to the leadership of the Senate Appropriations Committee, requesting full funding for the PILT program once again in fiscal year (FY) 2020.  The letter also committed to seeking a long-term funding solution for the program, which is administered by the Department of the Interior, so that counties can have certainty when making their budgets each year.

February 15, 2019 –Senator Manchin helped pass H.J.Res.31, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2019, which maintained funding totals of $530 million for the PILT program – $234 million more than the Administration’s request. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin worked throughout this process to ensure full funding for the PILT program, helping get the funding necessary so that today’s payments could be made.  Without full funding for the PILT program in FY19, counties in West Virginia would have been unable to provide essential services such as education, law enforcement, search and rescue, road maintenance and public health to their residents.

January 23, 2019 – As the Ranking Member of the ENR Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Interior, Senator Manchin joined ENR Chairman Lisa Murkowksi in co-hosting a briefing for his colleagues and their staff on the origins of PILT and how it is used today.

August 1, 2018 – Senator Manchin helped pass H.R.6147, the Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act of 2019, out of the Senate. This marked the first time in nearly a decade that an Interior appropriations bill passed the Senate. Thanks to Senator Manchin’s advocacy, the bill included full funding for the PILT program.

June 14, 2018 – As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin helped pass the FY19 Commerce, Justice, Science, Interior & Environment and Legislative Branch out of the full Appropriations Committee. The bill included funding that helped West Virginia fight the opioid epidemic, ensured that rural communities received their fair share of funding, and grew economic development in West Virginia – including full funding for the PILT program, one of Senator Manchin’s priorities within the Interior appropriations bill.

April 27, 2018 - Senator Manchin joined his colleagues in a letter to the leadership of the Appropriations Committee, urging them to maintain full funding for the PILT program for FY19. 

May 2, 2017 -- Senator Manchin highlights the importance of PILT to West Virginia in an Energy and Natural Resources hearing titled: Federal Payments to Local Governments Provided through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act and the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program and the Need to Provide Greater Fiscal Certainty for Resource-Dependent Communities with Tax-Exempt Federal Lands.