OIA Press Releases (2020 to Present)

Interior Assistant Secretary Domenech to Visit the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, November 12 – 15

11/08/2019

DOI Assistant Secretary Doug Domenech and Office of Insular Affairs Director Nik Pula will be in the U.S. Virgin Islands to meet with local federal partners for discussions on Hurricane Disaster Recovery efforts, follow-up on OIA funding provided for the Office of Disaster Recovery, and review other disaster-related efforts. Assistant Secretary Domenech will also stop in Puerto Rico for meetings with the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. 

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Interior Announces $5 Million to Support Cost-Saving Energy Projects in the U.S. Territories

11/01/2019

DOI Assistant Secretary Doug Domenech announced $5,017,021 in fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding under the Energizing Insular Communities (EIC) program to support a variety of energy retrofitting and efficiency projects that are estimated to provide thousands in savings for the residents of the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Interior and EPA Leverage Funding and Expertise in Support of Clean Water and Utility Efficiency in the Freely Associated States

10/15/2019

DOI Assistant Secretary Doug Domenech announced $876,465 in fiscal year 2019 funding to leverage engineering experts from the Bureau of Reclamation at the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s  Region 9 for several water and utility projects in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. 

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Interior and Energy Leverage Resources and Expertise to Conduct Analysis of Runit Dome on Enewetak

10/03/2019

DOI has signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Energy to provide $1,689,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding to conduct a radiochecmical analysis of groundwater on Runit Island in Enewetak Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. During the period of 1947 to 1958, the United States conducted 43 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests at Enewetak Atoll.

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Interior, CDC, and American Samoa Leverage Funding and Expertise to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis in American Samoa

10/02/2019

U.S. Interior Assistant Secretary Doug Domenech today announced that the Department of the Interior has provided $550,000 in technical assistance grant funding for fiscal year (FY) 2018 and FY 2019 to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, in collaboration with the American Samoa Department of Health, to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis in American Samoa.

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Interior Applauds JEMCO, JEMFAC, and Trust Fund Meetings Held under Compact of Free Association Partnerships with Micronesia and Marshall Islands

09/19/2019

U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Doug Domenech applauded the U.S-Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Joint Economic Management Committee (JEMCO), the U.S.-Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Joint Economic Management and Financial Accountability Committee (JEMFAC), and the FSM and the RMI Trust Fund Committees for their recently concluded annual meetings. 

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Interior Announces $5 Million to Protect Coral Reefs and Natural Resources; Combat Invasive Species in Island Areas

09/18/2019

U.S. Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Doug Domenech was in the Republic of Palau last week to co-chair the 42nd annual U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting where he announced $5,192,241 in fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding to protect coral reefs and natural resources, and combat invasive species, including the Brown Tree snake. 

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