President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Makes $18.1 Billion Investment in Interior Department Initiatives

Date: Monday, March 28, 2022
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023. The President’s Budget details his vision to expand on the historic progress our country has made over the last year and deliver the agenda he laid out in his State of the Union address—to build a better America, reduce the deficit, reduce costs for families, and grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out.

The Department of the Interior’s 2023 budget proposal totals $18.1 billion—an increase of $2.9 billion, or 19 percent, from the fiscal year 2022 continuing resolution.

“President Biden has proposed an important blueprint for our country’s future that reflects the importance of science, equity and collaboration in carrying out Interior’s important missions,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “These resources, coupled with the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help the Department make critical investments in climate resiliency while creating good-paying union jobs in the clean energy economy, ensuring Tribal communities have the resources and support they need, and conserving and protecting wildlife and their habitats for future generations. Together, we can ensure that every community has a stake in our efforts to build a better America.”

The budget makes critical investments in the American people that will help lay a stronger foundation for shared growth and prosperity for generations to come. At Interior, the budget proposal will:

Address Climate Challenges and Build Climate Resilience: The 2023 budget proposal recognizes that worsening drought, increased weather risks, more extreme wildfires, profound threats to wildlife and habitats, warming water temperatures, and new threats from invasive species are among the immediate challenges communities face right now. The proposal includes:

• $4.9 billion needed for healthier lands, waters, and ecosystems managed across Interior and broadens support for local conservation efforts through partnership and grant programs to meet the America the Beautiful initiative’s goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 to address the climate crisis and its impacts on nature.
• $1.5 billion for the Department’s Wildland Fire Management program to improve wildland firefighting capabilities, which represents a $237 million increase over the 2022 continuing resolution funding level.
• $174.2 million across the Department to address invasive species, including targeted rapid-response and early detection efforts.
• $62.4 million for Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) programs to support a suite of water conservation, recycling and planning programs to help communities mitigate drought, increase water supply reliability, and improve water management.
• $61 million for the agency’s Tribal Climate Resilience program to provide competitive awards to Tribes for climate-resilient planning.
• $60 million to expand the Civilian Climate Corps and Indian Youth Service Corps programs to help restore and conserve Interior’s lands and Tribal natural resources.

Advance the Clean Energy Economy: The Interior Department is working hard to meet the President’s ambitious goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. The 2023 budget includes $51.7 million for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Renewable Energy programs and $7.7 million in the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to establish an offshore renewable energy inspection and regulation program.

Onshore, the Administration’s clean energy goal is to permit 25 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025 as required by the Energy Act of 2020. To help achieve this goal, the 2023 budget provides:

• $152.8 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ecological Services Planning and Consultation program to support reviews and permitting of clean energy and other infrastructure and development projects, and work to avoid and mitigate potential impacts on wildlife and habitats.
• $49.7 million for the Bureau of Land Management’s Renewable Energy program and another $11 million for planning to support the siting of renewable energy projects and associated transmission infrastructure.
• $3.6 million for the U.S. Geological Survey to characterize and assess domestic geothermal energy resources.

Strengthen Tribal Communities: The Biden-Harris administration has made it an all-of-government priority to strengthen the nation-to-nation relationship with Tribes, honor Tribal sovereignty, advance equity and opportunity for Indigenous communities, and help Tribal Nations overcome new and long-standing challenges. The Interior Department’s 2023 proposed budget includes $4.5 billion in investments that reflect a sustaining commitment to Tribes, including:

• $2.8 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs programs, including an investment of $44.7 million to expand the Tiwahe Initiative. Under Tiwahe, a portion of the funding assists Tribes at selected sites to implement a Tribally driven approach to deliver services more effectively and efficiently.
• $891.5 million for operating the entire Bureau of Indian Education elementary and secondary school system—169 elementary and secondary schools and 14 dormitories—which provide educational services to approximately 45,000 individual students in 23 States. The 2023 request includes targeted funding to improve Indian student academic outcomes, address maintenance needs, support expanded preschool and Native language programs, and provide pay parity for Tribal teachers.
• $16.5 million to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.
• $10 million to support a Department-wide initiative to equip all Interior-funded law enforcement officers with body-worn cameras.
• $7 million to support Secretary Haaland’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative to address the troubled legacy and intergenerational trauma of federal boarding schools. This funding will complete the historical research and documentation and begin the work to identify and protect the remains of those identified.

Reinforce Interior’s Commitment to Diversity and Equity: In February 2022, Secretary Haaland established the first-ever Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Council to prioritize equity and inclusion and incorporate best practices into the Department’s work across its many bureaus, programs, and services. The 2023 budget provides $16.8 million for the DEIA initiative, as well as:

• $48 million across the National Park Service to advance racial justice and equity for underserved communities, including $14.3 million for operational increases at parks that preserve the stories of under-represented communities; $5.0 million to support African-American Civil Rights Network partnerships; $5.7 million to strengthen partnerships and improve coordination with Tribes; $5 million to improve park accessibility, including facility access, and accessible programming, recreational experiences and technology; and $5 million to address transportation barriers to parks from underserved communities.
• $4 million for dedicated staff and technical support to provide programmatic expertise to implement the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative and ensure 40 percent of overall benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy are directed to disadvantaged communities.

The budget makes these smart investments while also reducing deficits and improving our country’s long-term fiscal outlook.

For more information on the President’s FY 2023 budget, please visit the White House website.

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