News and reports from the Department of the Interior.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland addressed attendees at the Biden-Harris administration’s fourth White House Tribal Nations Summit, held at the Department of the Interior.

The Department of the Interior has announced that over $20 million is now available to strengthen local governments' wildfire response efforts.

The Department of the Interior has announced a significant investment of $849 million from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to revitalize aging water delivery systems across Western states.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, along with Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kathryn Isom-Clause, visited Carlisle, Pennsylvania as part of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. This initiative, launched in June 2021 by Secretary Haaland, aims to address the legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies and their impact on Indigenous communities.

The Department of the Interior has issued draft guidance on how states can apply for up to $40 million each in Regulatory Improvement Grant funding under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding aims to create jobs and clean up orphaned oil and gas wells across the United States. The announcement also marks the beginning of a public comment period to gather feedback on the draft guidance.

On September 27, 2024, the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce released a report recommending strategies to boost community-led economic development in the sustainable forest product sector and outdoor recreation. This initiative supports healthy forests while creating jobs in rural communities. The report was developed in response to climate change impacts, workforce and housing shortages, and barriers to intergovernmental coordination. It builds on President Biden’s Executive Order on Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies...

The Department of the Interior and the Justice Department held a virtual roundtable on Thursday to discuss improving media coverage of missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking (HT). The event included Tribal representatives, advocates, members of the media, and survivors.

The Department of the Interior has announced a $71 million investment to electrify homes in 13 Tribal communities across Indian Country. This funding is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and aims to close the Tribal access-to-electricity gap. The investment, sourced from the Inflation Reduction Act, represents a significant step towards achieving a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035.

The Department of the Interior has announced over $9.9 million in fiscal year 2024 funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to address abandoned mine lands (AML) in Colorado. This initiative aims to create jobs and stimulate economic growth while addressing environmental issues.

The Department of the Interior has announced a historic investment from the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLP). The National Park Service (NPS) will allocate $254.68 million to 54 projects across 24 states for the redevelopment or creation of local parks.

The Department of the Interior has announced significant progress for the Colorado River System's health. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton joined leaders from various water districts and the Gila River Indian Community to sign five new water conservation agreements. These agreements will utilize funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to advance water conservation efforts across the Western United States.

The Department of the Interior has announced a nearly $92 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to fund 19 projects aimed at restoring and protecting aquatic ecosystems. This funding, sourced from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriations managed by the Bureau of Reclamation, will be directed towards projects in California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. The goal is to improve the health of fish, wildlife, and aquatic habitats through various restoration initiatives.

The Department of the Interior has announced over $24 million in funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to restore lands and waters across the United States. This announcement coincides with Climate Week and is part of a broader effort under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support 50 ecosystem restoration projects in 34 states and multiple U.S. Territories.

A watchdog group has raised concerns over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) five-year investigation into the sourcing of nonhuman primates (NHPs) from Cambodia, calling it a failed operation that may have given China an edge in vaccine research.

The Department of the Interior announced nearly $1.3 million in awards through a pilot program aimed at enhancing local governments' wildfire response by converting vehicles into wildland fire engines. Authorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Slip-on Tanker Pilot Program assists small, remote emergency response agencies in expanding their wildfire response capacity amidst the increasing impacts of climate change, drought, and intensifying wildfires.