Innovation, information, and technology transfer [Chapter 6]

Product Type: Report, Pages In

Year: 2012

Author(s): Richardson, L. and B. Simon

Suggested Citation:
Richardson, L. and B. Simon. 2012. Innovation, information, and technology transfer [Chapter 6]. In: . The Department of Interior's Economic Contributions, FY2011. . Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Policy Analysis. 110-130 p.

Abstract

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Department of the Interior plays a substantial role in the U.S. economy, supporting over two million jobs and approximately $385 billion in economic activity for 2011. American citizens and industry, at work and at play, all benefit from Interior’s natural and cultural resource management: maintaining lands for recreation, protecting cultural and historical resources, storing and conveying water, generating power, leasing mineral rights, and providing valuable information to mineral markets.

Highlights of Interior’s economic contributions to key economic sectors in 2011 include:

• Recreation and Tourism: Americans and foreign visitors made nearly 435 million visits to Interior-managed lands. These visits supported over 403,000 jobs and contributed around $48.7 billion in economic activity. This economic output represents about 6.5% of the direct output of tourism-related personal consumption expenditures for the United States for 2011 and about 7.6% of the direct tourism related employment.
• Energy and Minerals: Exploitation of oil, gas, coal, hydropower and other minerals on Federal lands supported 1.5 million jobs and $275 billion in economic activity.
• Water, Timber and Forage: Use of water, timber and other resources produced from Federal lands supported about 290,000 jobs and nearly $41 billion in economic activity.
• Grants and Payments: Interior administers numerous grants and payments, supporting programs across the country and improving Federal lands with projects ranging from reclaiming abandoned mines to building coastal infrastructure. $4.2 billion in grants and payments (including support to tribal governments) supported about 83,000 jobs and $10 billion worth of economic contributions.
• Interior’s support for tribal governments is an important mechanism for advancing nation-to-nation relationships, improving Indian education, and improving the safety of Indian communities. In FY 2011, this funding contributed about $1.2 billion to economic output and supported about 9,500 jobs.
• Through both bureau programs and organizational partnerships, more than 21,000 employment opportunities were provided to people ages 15 to 25 on public lands in FY 2011. NPS and its organizational partners employed the largest number, with 9,089 youth employed.
• The physical infrastructure managed by Interior supports a wide variety of resource management and recreation activities. In FY 2011, investments in construction and maintenance totaled about $2.6 billion. This funding contributed about $7.2 billion in economic activity and supported about 49,000 jobs.
• Land acquisitions are a key component to ensuring that the ecosystem services provided by Interior-managed lands can be preserved and enhanced. The $144 million spent on land acquisitions in FY 2011 is estimated to contribute about $141 million in economic activity and support about 1,000 jobs.

Some of the valuable services produced under Interior’s management cannot be fully counted in terms of output or jobs: habitat for a wide variety of species, drinking water, energy security, flood and disease control, scientific information, carbon sequestration, recreation, and culture. Evaluation and consideration of the services provided through human production and through land and resource conservation can engage new stakeholders, expand revenue sources, and enhance our landscapes.