This Week at Interior

Interior personnel joined emergency responders and assistance agencies from across the country this week in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene – which made landfall September 26th as a category 4 hurricane, causing massive devastation, flooding and more than 200 deaths. Employees from across the Department are supporting search and rescue efforts as well as law enforcement, firefighting, landslide assessments and more. Work is ongoing to assess damage to national parks, wildlife refuges and cultural sites in the wake of the storm. People in need of help, or who would like to help, can contact the Red Cross at redcross.org  

Secretary Haaland and Department leaders traveled to Carlisle, Pennsylvania this week as part of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. Secretary Haaland launched the initiative in 2021, the first comprehensive effort by the federal government to recognize the troubled legacy of past policies. Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which was located within what is now the U.S. Army Carlisle Barracks, was the first of 400 off-reservation boarding schools in the continental United States. The school was a model for the federal government’s boarding school policies aimed at stripping Indigenous children of their languages, religions and cultures.    

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland traveled to the Pacific Northwest this week, where he talked about the impact of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda on critical Tribal infrastructure projects. On Tuesday he attended a groundbreaking for new water and sewer system upgrades at the Cascade Locks Treaty In-Lieu site in Oregon which provides rehabilitation at Tribal fishing sites along the Columbia River. Wednesday, he joined the Tulalip Tribe in Washington along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to mark a $240 million investment to support Tribal fish hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and steelhead.

Interior this week announced more than $24 million from the President’s Investing in America agenda to restore our nation’s lands and waters. The funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support 50 ecosystem restoration projects in 34 states and multiple U.S. Territories, as well as projects that provide nationwide benefits, building climate resilience, improved habitats, and healthier communities.  

The Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce this week made recommendations for promoting forest health and job creation through community-led economic development that relies on sustainable forest product industries and outdoor recreation. America’s forests provide millions of jobs and underpin local economies, particularly in rural communities. The Biden-Harris administration is mobilizing historic resources to help these forests and communities thrive.

Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen Cantor visited the Republic of Palau this week, where she joined festivities celebrating its 30th year of independence. She announced more than $80 million in grants under the Compact of Free Association for the island nation's trust fund, for economic assistance for Palau's health and education systems and to support debt reduction.  

Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner David Palumbo joined Gila River Indian Community leaders for a groundbreaking ceremony this week at the first of three federally funded projects to enhance critical water infrastructure. The Deputy Commissioner was also on hand to celebrate the completion of the Casa Blanca Solar Covered Canal Project, which was also funded by Reclamation. In all, the Community will receive more than $107 million in federal funds for the three projects.

Funded by the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement this week awarded a contract for the decommissioning of eight orphaned pipelines in the Matagorda Island lease area, about 12 miles off the Texas coast. The project will reduce pollution risks and improve offshore safety by phasing out infrastructure that could interfere with navigation, commercial fisheries, and other ocean uses.

And our social media Picture of the Week, this busy little pika at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah. Every summer, pikas gather mouthfuls of wildflowers and grasses and build giant haystacks to stock up for winter. They’ll lay them on rocks in the sun to dry them out and then store them in their dens.

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That's This Week at Interior!