Study Shows Colorado Benefits from DOI Operations

Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area
Photo Courtesy of DOI, Bureau of Land Management

The U.S. Department of the Interior released an Economic Report detailing the real economic benefits created by our public lands and protected spaces in 2012.  Since much of the land the department manages is in the west, Colorado receives many of the associated economic benefits.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell stated, “The missions of the Department of the Interior contribute to our nation’s economy in ways big and small. From the billions in revenues generated from oil and gas development, to the jobs created from tourism to our national parks and public lands, Interior’s activities are an important source of business development and employment for communities and families in all 50 states,”

The Economic Report has been prepared annually since 2009 by the Interior’s Office of Policy Analysis. This office estimates the economic contributions of the department, which include land and water management, energy and mineral development, outdoor recreation and tourism, conservation, hunting and fishing,  and scientific research and innovation.

The report outlines these economic benefits by state. In Colorado, the Department of the Interior contributed to approximately 60,600 jobs, and was the source of 17,823,508 recreational visits. The report concludes that the DOI had a $10.5 billion impact on Colorado’s economy in 2012.

To access the full report, click here.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant