News and reports from the Department of the Interior.

The Department of the Interior announced its approval of the Atlantic Shores South offshore wind energy project, marking the ninth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved under President Biden's administration. With this approval, the Department has sanctioned over 13 gigawatts of clean energy from offshore wind projects, sufficient to power nearly five million homes.

NEW YORK — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland traveled to New York this week to meet with Tribal leaders and community members, highlighting the Interior Department’s progress in strengthening Indian Country. Her visit underscored the investments made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to empower Tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and prosperity.

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration has announced an offshore wind energy lease sale in the Central Atlantic, as part of its efforts to bolster a clean energy economy. The Department of the Interior revealed that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will auction areas on August 14, 2024, which could generate up to 6.3 gigawatts of renewable energy, potentially powering up to 2.2 million homes.

The Department of the Interior has announced two significant actions to maintain protections on Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-managed public lands in Alaska. These lands are crucial for fish and wildlife habitats, sensitive rivers and streams, and other resources vital to the state's subsistence economy and the way of life for Alaska Native communities.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today issued Secretary’s Order 3413, which transfers the Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Policy, Management and Budget, effective July 15, 2024. This order follows feedback through nation-to-nation consultation and the enactment of the Department of the Interior’s 2024 appropriations in which Congress directed a transfer of the Department’s Office of Subsistence Management from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Office of the Secretary.

The Department of the Interior has awarded $126.7 million through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to address legacy pollution in Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, New York, and Ohio. Orphaned oil and gas wells are contaminating various areas across the country, posing significant health and safety threats by polluting surface and groundwater, releasing toxic air pollutants, and leaking methane—a potent greenhouse gas.

The Department of the Interior announced today that over 1,900 state and local governments across the United States will receive a total of $621.2 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2024. These payments assist local governments in covering costs associated with essential community services, as they cannot tax federal lands.

The Department of the Interior has been awarded a Presidential Federal Sustainability Award for its efforts to phase out single-use plastics on Department-managed lands and for its work in strengthening climate resilience through public-private partnerships. Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis attended a ceremony at the White House to accept the awards and commend employees involved in these initiatives.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland was in New Mexico this week to highlight recent actions and investments from the Department to conserve public lands, invest in Tribal communities throughout New Mexico, and build a next-generation conservation workforce.

The Department of the Interior has announced a $43 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for rural water projects aimed at providing clean, reliable drinking water to rural and Tribal communities. The funds, managed through the Bureau of Reclamation, will support six projects either under construction or in the planning phase across Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota. This follows $733 million previously allocated for rural water projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

WASHINGTON — As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s agreement to restore wild salmon in the Columbia River Basin, the Department of the Interior released a report today documenting the historic, ongoing, and cumulative impacts of federal Columbia River dams on Columbia River Basin Tribes. The report provides recommendations for how the federal government can further its treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribes by acknowledging and integrating these impacts in future actions. This marks the first comprehensive detailing by the U.S. government of the harms inflicted by...

RENO, Nev. — Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis announced a $142 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to enhance drought resilience and boost water supplies nationwide as part of the Investing in America agenda. The selected projects are expected to provide approximately 40,000 acre-feet of annual recycled water, sufficient to support over 160,000 people annually.

LAS VEGAS — Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis visited Las Vegas today to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s progress in meeting President Biden’s clean energy goals. She joined Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada State Director Jon Raby to announce the completion of the final environmental analysis of the proposed Greenlink West Transmission Project. This project involves transmission lines connecting Reno and Las Vegas, aiming to deliver clean energy from the Nevada desert to the Western electric grid. If completed, it could transmit up to 4 gigawatts of...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to expand offshore wind opportunities and address the climate crisis while creating jobs, the Department of the Interior announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Maryland to support wind energy generation offshore.

The Department of the Interior announced today an initial $700 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for long-term water conservation projects across the Lower Colorado River Basin. This investment aims to save more than 700,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead and will fund various projects such as water distribution structures, advanced metering infrastructure, farm efficiency improvements, canal lining, turf removal, groundwater banking, desalination, recycling water, and water purification. These initiatives are critical for enhancing the...