Costa Announces $4 Million to Help Local Communities Service Federal Lands

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa announced that Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties will receive more than $4 million dollars in funding from the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program to help defray the costs associated with maintaining important community services in tax-exempt federal lands in their jurisdiction:

"Federal lands provide a wealth of benefits to our local communities, but they provide no funding for the critical services they receive in return" said Rep. Costa "These payments provide a lifeline to local governments, many already cash-strapped by the COVID-19 pandemic, to continue providing vital services such as housing, schooling and public safety, to the people who live there."

The payments are made annually to support lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. Payments are calculated based on acreage and population within each county or jurisdiction.

California will receive more than $55 million in funding from the program with the following amounts allocated to Rep. Costa's district:

• Fresno County, $3.3 million
• Madera County, $1.2 million
• Merced County, $100 thousand

A full list of funding for California counties can be found here.