This Week at Interior June 7, 2024

This Week at Interior  

This week marked several opportunities to celebrate National Ocean Month. Secretary Haaland and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein delivered remarks at events throughout the week to highlight Interior's commitment to implementing environmental justice measures throughout its ocean conservation work, including the creation of a brand-new offshore wind industry and collaboration with coastal, Insular and island communities on climate adaptation efforts.  

And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries released long-awaited final management plans for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monuments. These monuments will continue to serve as invaluable refuges for climate and biodiversity in our ocean.  

Interior and the Department of Agriculture this week announced a proposed investment of $2.8 billion through the Great American Outdoors Act to protect and sustain our public lands and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. The proposed projects, which will occur in all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and multiple U.S. territories, will support more than 20,000 jobs and contribute more than $2.5 billion to the economy.

Interior and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement this week announced that nearly $725 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is available to 22 states and the Navajo Nation to create good-paying jobs and catalyze economic opportunity by reclaiming abandoned mine lands. This is the third allotment from $11.3 billion in funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will help communities clean up dangerous environmental conditions and pollution caused by past coal mining.

Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation this week announced an initial $700 million investment from the President’s Investing in America agenda for long-term water conservation projects across the Lower Colorado River Basin. This investment has the potential to save more than 700,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead – it will fund innovative projects like water distribution structures, farm efficiency improvements, recycling water, water purification and more.

Secretary Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week issued a joint memo to federal agency leaders with wildfire responsibilities outlining their vision and goals for managing wildland fires this year. The Secretaries’ memo highlights fire management investments from the President’s Investing in America agenda, as well as other strategic priorities to reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystems, engage in post-fire recovery, support the wildland fire workforce and make communities more resilient to fire.  

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams joined partners this week to announce $3.4 million in funding from the President’s Investing in America agenda to prevent and combat the spread of aquatic invasive species in Lake Tahoe. The funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law represents the continuation of a historic effort with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, which is dedicated to restoring the Lake Tahoe Basin ecosystem.  

Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen Cantor attended the Micronesian Islands Forum this week in Guam. That's where the governors of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and leaders of the Freely Associated States, assembled with other Micronesian island leaders to discuss regional issues related to workforce development, invasive species management, renewable energy, recycling, transportation, tourism and more. During her visit Assistant Secretary Cantor announced more than $7 million in Capital Improvement Project grants and two and half million dollars in Technical Assistance Program grants for Guam and more than a million and half dollars in TAP grants for Northern Mariana Islands.  

Kīlauea volcano was back in the news this week, as Hawai’i’s most active volcano began erupting once more. The U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park shared imagery of the eruption that began in the early morning on June 3rd. Unlike last September's eruption, this time lava emerged from the remote slopes southwest of the summit for about 12 hours. The current eruption poses no immediate threat to human life or critical infrastructure.  

In celebration of Great Outdoors Month and National Trails Day, Secretary Haaland announced the designation of four new national recreation trails in four states, adding more than 33 miles to the National Trails System. The newly designated trails join a network of more than 1,300 existing national recreation trails, which can be found in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  

And our social media Picture of the Week, you might not believe your eyes...look at all those fireflies! June is the month that the 19 different species of synchronous fireflies reach their peak at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee as they search for mates. Now's the time to get your hugs, from all those lightning bugs!

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That's This Week at Interior!