Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary; Opens Fall Grant Cycle with $350,000 For Awards

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GRAND JUNCTION, CO – The Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District (MCFMLD) Board will celebrate its 10-year anniversary by opening its fall 2021 grant cycle with $350,000 in available funds on August 1st.


The MCFMLD was created in 2011 by then County Commissioners Craig Meis, Janet Rowland and Steve Acquafresca, after Colorado House Bill 11-1218 was passed.

Colorado House Bill 11-1218 allowed for Colorado counties to create Federal Mineral Lease Districts to protect the federal mineral leasing payments that had been separated from the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) payments the counties received annually.

PILT payments were established by the federal government to help offset the losses of local property taxes due to nontaxable Federal lands within local jurisdictions. Approximately 71% of land in Mesa County is public land.

The MCFMLD uses these funds to administer their bi-annual grant program that funds various community projects strictly within Mesa County. The District is authorized by statute to distribute funds and provide services to communities impacted by the development of natural resources on federal lands within Mesa County.

Federal law limits how lease payments distributed to the Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District can be used. The distribution may only be used by the state, or its political subdivisions, for (1) planning, (2) construction and maintenance of public facilities, or (3) provision of public services.

The MCFMLD has awarded over $8 million in grants to local entities in Mesa County over the past ten years.

This grant cycle, the district has $350,000 to award and it will be Commissioner Janet Rowland’s first time serving on the Board of Directors, after helping to establish the MCFMLD ten years ago.

“When the FML District was formed 10 years ago, the intent was to keep more of our federal dollars here locally,” said Rowland, “so it’s great to look back and see that over $8M has been invested into our community in fire stations, school districts, police departments, sanitation districts and more.”

Grant applications can be found on the MCFMLD website and are due on September 3, 2021 by 3 pm.

For more information regarding MCFMLD, previous grant award recipients and projects, or the fall 2021 grant cycle, please go to our website www.mesafml.org.

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Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District (MCFMLD) was established in 2011. The MCFMLD serves a mission to enhance positive social and economic impact in Mesa County from the development, processing and energy conversion of fuels and minerals leased under the Federal “Mineral Lands Leasing Act” through strategic grants, partnerships, investments and leadership. Since 2011, MCFMLD has awarded over $8 million to local entities in Mesa County. For more information, or to join in the conversation, please visit our website at www.mesaFML.org. Join us on social media, using hashtags #MesaFMLD or #MCFLMD, on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MCFMLD or twitter at www.twitter.com/MesaFMLD.


News Stories:
https://www.westernslopenow.com/news/local-news/oil-and-gas-agency-pushes-to-keep-blm-headquarters-local/?fbclid=IwAR0PcCIQFdPxbWGiN0WyizbHCjOydHuR9i3UbOL4lLH7QRNAz4WG3_bDVWU

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