The amount is an increase from this year’s compensation, which was just under $1.8 million.
The money comes from the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program administered through the Department of the Interior which compensates local governments for lost tax revenue from federal lands so the governments can continue to provide public services such as police and fire protection, road maintenance and school assistance.
The payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal entitlement land within each county and the population of the county.
Luna County has nearly 747,000 acres of federal Bureau of Land Management – or BLM – property within its boundaries.
U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced the payments, saying they were part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to rural communities.
Jewell said the payments represent the largest amount ever allocated under the PILT program.