Hi, everyone, my name is Mike Sturm, I’m the Superintendent at Katmai National Park and Preserve, we’re out here today at Brooks Camp, and... you’re watching This Week at Interior!

This Week at Interior!

Secretary Haaland was in Washington state this week to highlight progress through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to safeguard communities from increased threat of wildland fire and severe drought, restore ecosystems, and strengthen Tribal communities. The Secretary joined the Yakama Nation, the Governor and Department leaders to celebrate the opening of almost 30 miles of critical habitat for salmon and steelhead populations above Cle Elum Dam and Reservoir. In her remarks, Secretary Haaland announced a $16 million investment for drought resilience in the Yakima River Basin through the Inflation Reduction Act to support fish, farms and families who rely on this vital waterway.          

While in Washington, Secretary Haaland visited Olympic National Park and learned about a seed gathering project funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That project supports restoration of white bark pine and other threatened species in the state, part of Interior’s National Seed Strategy Keystone Initiative. The Secretary also visited Hurricane Ridge and was briefed on efforts to restore Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge, which was destroyed in a structural fire in May 2023.                                                  

Secretary Haaland also made a visit to Alaska this week, where she highlighted how historic resources from the President’s Investing in America agenda are bolstering climate resiliency, advancing salmon conservation, and strengthening local economies. She visited Katmai National Park and Preserve, famous for supporting the world’s largest remaining wild sockeye salmon run as well as the community of life that depends on these salmon, including abundant Alaskan brown bears. She also visited with several Alaska Native communities that are benefiting from nearly $560 million in new resources to advance climate resiliency and community-led relocation.                                

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Dr. Steve Feldgus traveled to Alabama this week to announce more than $20.4 million from the President’s Investing in America agenda to address dangerous and polluting abandoned mine lands. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a total of $16 billion to address legacy pollution, including $11.3 billion in AML funding over 15 years, facilitated by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.    

Interior along with the Commerce Department this week announced a $240 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to support fish hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and steelhead. Fish hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest support essential subsistence, ceremonial and economic benefits for Tribal communities, as well as fulfilling Treaty-reserved fishing rights. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will partner with the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to deliver the funding.                                                                      

Interior this week announced a funding opportunity through the President’s Investing in America agenda for ecosystem and habitat restoration projects in the Upper Colorado River Basin that address drought impacts. These funds through the Bureau of Reclamation will help increase community and landscape resiliency while restoring habitats and assisting in species recovery.                                                                             
The Bureau of Land Management this week announced it's advancing nine solar projects on public lands in Nevada and Arizona that could power nearly 2 million homes with clean energy. The projects will support President Biden’s goal of creating a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, and follow the Department’s April announcement that it's permitted more than 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects – surpassing a major milestone ahead of 2025 – enough clean energy to power more than 12 million homes across the country.      

The Biden-Harris administration this week announced it's taking additional steps to safeguard western communities in the face of increasingly dangerous and intense wildland fires. Interior and the U.S. Forest Service have signed an agreement to use the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite to rapidly detect and report wildfire starts. The effort is supported by a $20 million investment from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.                                                                                           
And with our social media Picture of the Week, we're marking the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1990. Public lands are for ALL people, and for the last three and half decades Interior has worked to improve access to public lands and create new and innovative ways for participation and inclusion.  

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That's This Week at Interior!