For the last three years, Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and LA Clippers owner and , has been trying to “figure out ” with the trillions of dollars it spends each year.
came out last month, in the form of , a website built from the reams of data the U.S. government releases publicly each year. Ballmer says he wants USAFacts to be a sort of 10-K—the —for the government. It’s filled with stats on police departments, welfare spending, and defense budget line items. It is also, excitingly, a repository of information on the government’s role as landowner and environmental steward.
With help from Ballmer’s team, we pulled together a few of the most salient data points. For example, government spending (at the state and federal levels) on “sustainability and self-sufficiency” totaled $109.4 billion in 2014, accounting for about two percent of total government spending. Among the most interesting takeaways: America’s spending on the outdoors is declining, the cost of fishing and hunting tags is outpacing inflation significantly, and the long-anticipated renewable energy revolution isn't here yet.
Land Use
We're Not Getting Many More Parks
Total national park acres, 2000: 84,327,466
Total national park acres, 2015: 84,735,954
But We Are Drilling More on Federal Land
Drilling permits approved on federal land, 1990: 2,617
Drilling permits approved on federal land, 2015: 3,508
Under Obama, We Leased Way Less Land (Usually for Grazing and Extraction)
Total federal land leases, 1990: 79,609
New federal land leases, 1990: 6,552
Total federal land leases, 2015: 44,213
New federal land leases, 2015: 852
The Number of Forest Fires Remains Steady, But They're Getting Bigger
Forest fires, 1980: 66,481
Acres burned: 4,621,621
Forest fires, 2015: 68,151
Acres burned: 10,125,149
Environmental Safety
Flint Isn't the Only Place with Clean Water Problems
Drinking water facilities inspected, 2016: 53,599
Facilities with serious health violations, 2016: 4,376
Hazardous waste facilities inspected, 2016: 14,972
Facilities with serious violations, 2016: 429
Total penalties charged: $22 million
Energy
Renewables Aren't Keeping Up
Total energy production (fossil fuels, nuclear, renewable), 1990: 70.70 quadrillion Btu (British Thermal Units)
Percentage from renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass: 11.70 percent
Total energy production, 2015: 88.02 quadrillion Btu
Percentage from renewable sources: 9.29 percent
Total metric tons of CO2 emitted in 1990: 6,397,000,000
Total metric tons of CO2 emitted in 2014: 6,870,000,000
Fishing & Hunting
Hook-and-Bullet Enthusiasm Is Higher Than Ever:
Total fishing license, tags, permits and stamps, 1980: 35,182,908
Total fishing license, tags, permits and stamps, 2015: 38,066,902
Total fees, 1980: $196,823,591
Total fees, 2015: $686,149,078
Paid hunting license tags, permits and stamps, 1980: 27,001,576
Paid hunting license tags, permits and stamps, 2015: 35,850,931
Total fees, 1980: $222,131,551
Total fees, 2015: $821,021,85