Category: Interior

The Department of the Interior completed the transfer of a three-acre coastal island in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, to the Bureau of Land Management on Aug. 10 to support a proposed liquefied natural gas hub on the Gulf of Mexico. The federal land transfer is a prerequisite for the infrastructure development necessary for the new LNG facility. Cameron Parish, on Louisiana’s southwestern coast, is already home to several major LNG export terminals including Sabine Pass and Cameron LNG. LNG exports from the U.S. Gulf Coast have become both an economic engine and a geopolitical asset. European allies that reduced dependence on

The Bureau of Land Management opened a 30-day public comment period on Aug. 11 covering 328 Wyoming oil and gas lease parcels totaling more than 427,000 acres. The action is the first step toward what would be one of the largest quarterly federal lease sales in recent years. The parcels are nominated for a March 2027 quarterly lease sale. The comment period allows the public, industry and environmental groups to weigh in on individual parcels before BLM makes final leasing decisions. The nomination package reflects robust industry demand for federal leases under the administration’s Energy Dominance agenda. BLM generated $4.1

The Bureau of Reclamation published a Final Environmental Impact Statement on July 31 establishing an operational framework for managing Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2036, a decision that will shape water access for approximately 40 million people across the American West. The EIS designates an adaptive decision framework for the next decade, replacing the expiring 2007 Interim Guidelines that governed the Colorado River’s two largest reservoirs during a historic period of drought and declining water levels. The Colorado River serves seven U.S. states, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, along with two Mexican states and 30

U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Wildland Fire Service personnel are actively responding to the Grand Park 2 Fire burning in Mount Rainier National Park, the National Park Service reported Aug. 8. Acreage, containment percentage and cause of the fire were not immediately available. Mount Rainier is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most visited national parks, drawing approximately 2 million visitors annually. The fire comes during peak visitation season as hot, dry weather has driven multiple simultaneous fires in the North Cascades region. The Border 2 Fire at North Cascades National Park stood at an estimated 6,983 acres as of Aug.

The Bureau of Reclamation published the Final Environmental Impact Statement for future Colorado River operations, establishing a 10-year framework for managing Lake Powell and Lake Mead that will govern water delivery for roughly 40 million people, on July 31. The framework is designed to ensure reliable water operations through 2036 for seven Basin states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — and the federal government, the bureau said. The decision concludes a years-long renegotiation process for post-2026 Colorado River operating guidelines. The previous guidelines were set to expire, requiring a new agreement among the Basin states

The National Park Service implemented water conservation measures on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park after a break in the Transcanyon Waterline interrupted water pumping, the agency reported Aug. 5. The break occurred approximately one mile below Cottonwood Campground. The South Rim is Grand Canyon’s most visited area, drawing more than 5 million visitors annually. The pipeline failure came during peak summer visitation season, creating logistical challenges for hotels, campgrounds and visitor services on the South Rim. Park managers implemented immediate conservation protocols, though a restoration timeline was not available. The Transcanyon Waterline is aging infrastructure that has