Archive

As the nation celebrates Great Outdoors Month, the Department of the Interior today announced the distribution of $279 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia for state-identified outdoor recreation and conservation projects.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited Nevada today, where she announced significant policy and organizational updates to advance clean energy production on public lands and meet the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a net-zero economy by 2050. 

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo joined Senator Mitt Romney, Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox and Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson, and Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez today to execute the Navajo-Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement.

The Department of the Interior today announced the next steps for and welcomed public comment on offshore wind lease sales in two regions on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore California. This is the first-ever offshore wind lease sale proposed on America’s west coast.

The Department of the Interior today announced a $33 million investment through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to put people to work plugging, remediating and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells in national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and on other public lands.

Today, the Department of the Interior released draft guidance for eligible states and the Navajo Nation on how to apply for the first $725 million in funding available for reclaiming abandoned mine lands (AML) as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited Montana last week, where she met with several Tribes across the state to discuss the Department’s commitment to strengthening Indian Country and highlight how funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes historic investments in rural and Indigenous communities.

During testimony before the U.S Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland confirmed that, despite delays in implementation from the previous Administration, the Interior Department will release the Proposed Program - the next step in the five-year offshore energy planning process - by June 30, 2022, which is the expiration of the current program. A Proposed Program is not a decision to issue specific leases or to authorize any drilling or development.

The Department of the Interior today announced $29 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to invest in Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Irrigation, Power, and Safety of Dams programs.