U.S. Department of the Interior Seeks to Increase Broadband Access, Reduce Wildfire Hazards Across Rural Communities

U.S. Department of the Interior Seeks to Increase Broadband Access, Reduce Wildfire Hazards Across Rural Communities | site |



(Information contained in U.S. Department of the Interior press release dated: January 11, 2021)

Grand Junction, Colo -- Today, the Department of the Interior announced three new actions by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service to aggressively increase broadband internet access in rural communities and reduce wildfire risks. Deputy Secretary Katharine MacGregor made the announcement at the Bureau of Land Management headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado. “High-speed internet connectivity is essential for education, economic opportunity, health and public safety – especially as we continue to respond to the challenges of COVID-19,” said Deputy Secretary MacGregor. “Facilitating greater broadband access and reducing wildfire risks for the benefit of ...

U.S. Department of the Interior says Wrigley Field Designated as a National Historic Landmark | site |




(Information contained in U.S. Department of the Interior press release: November 19, 2020)

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt designated Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, as a National Historic Landmark, recognizing the significant role the ballpark has played in the city of Chicago and the history of professional sports.

National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture.

Photo by NPS View copy of Proclamation

“The historical...

U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary’s Order Increases Flexibility and Empowers States to Support Healthy Active Communities with Unprecedented LWCF Funding | site |


(Novemner 13, 2020) - - Today the U.S. Department of the Interior published the following information: WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, US Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt established criteria to invest unprecedented funding in state and local communities that will enhance recreation and conservation, and he outlined the steps Interior is taking to implement the Trump Administration’s historic Great American Outdoors Act, the greatest conservation funding law in US history. “Under the leadership of President Trump, Interior is hard at work to implement this landmark legislation and to be stewards of the money Congress has entrusted us to manage,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “These actions ensure land acquisitions will increase recreation opportunities, enhance conservation benefits a...

U.S. Department of the Interior Reduces Wildfire Risks on More Than 1.4 Million Acres of Federal Land in 2019| site |


Largest Fuel Reduction in 10 Years (January 8, 2020) - - The U.S. Department of the Interior {DOI) published (today) the following information: WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of the Interior announced it had doubled and nearly tripled targets set by President Donald Trump for vegetative treatments to reduce wildfire risk in Fiscal Year 2019, marking the largest fuel load reduction in a decade. The announcement comes as the land management agencies with wildland fire programs—the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—report their end-of-year accomplishments and begin preparations for the next fire year. “These accomplishments reflect the Department’s commitment to the President’s goals for reducing wildfire risk and protecting our communities and resources,...

U.S. Department of the Interior Applauds Trump Administration's Establishment of Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Native Task Force| site |




(November 26, 2019) - - The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) published (today, November 26, 2019) the following information:

WASHINGTON -Today, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order (Order), establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives (Task Force), which will be co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Attorney General William P. Barr.

Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

“President Trump has brought this issue out of the shadows and into the light -- focusing on public safety, justice and economic strength in previously forgotten American Indian and Alaska Native communities,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “At the Department...

U.S. Department of the Interior - - - What they are saying: Energy Revenue and Disbursement Receives Support| site |



(October 25, 2019) - - Today (October 25, 2019), the U.S. Department of the Interior published the following information:

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced on Bloomberg that the Department of the Interior’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) disbursed $11.69 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 from energy production on federal and American Indian-owned lands and offshore areas. This represents a $2.76 billion increase in comparison to FY 2018, and is nearly double the disbursements allocated at the end of the previous Administration of $6.23 billion for FY 2016.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

ALASKA

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski: “I’m glad that revenues from development on federal lands in Alaska are coming in to support our state. I hope...

U.S. Department of the Interior says Energy Revenues and Disbursements Soar Under the Trump Administration | site |


Revenues and Disbursements Nearly Double FY 2016 Totals


(October 24, 2019) - - Today (October 24, 2019), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) published the following information: WASHINGTON –– U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced today that the Department of the Interior’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) disbursed $11.69 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 from energy production on federal and American Indian-owned lands and offshore areas. This represents a $2.76 billion increase in comparison to FY 2018, and is nearly double the disbursements allocated at the end of the previous Administration at $6.23 billion for FY 2016. States received $2.44 billion in disbursements, and more than $1 billion was disbursed to American Indian Tribes and individual Indian mineral owners. In addition, $1.76 bill...

U.S. Department of the Interior Proposes Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale for Gulf of Mexico| site |


(October 7, 2019) - - Today (October 7, 2019), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) published the following information: WASHINGTON - In support of the Administration’s America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, Department of the Interior’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Casey Hammond and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Dr. Walter Cruickshank today announced that BOEM proposes to offer approximately 78 million acres for a region-wide lease sale scheduled for March 2020. The sale would include all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico that are not subject to Congressional moratorium. “Offshore energy development is about furthering America’s energy security, ensuring fair market value to the taxpayers, and producing domestic energy in an environmentally responsible manner,” ...

U.S. Interior Secretary Bernhardt says that as a mild Fire Season comes to an End, here’s How the Department of the Interior Prepared for the Worst| site |

Photo by BLM

(September 25, 2019) - - Today (September 25, 2019), the U.S. Department of the Interior published the following account of U.S. Interior Secretary David L. Bernhardt's statements which were published in a September 23, 2019 guest commentary to The Denver Post: Last year’s wildfire season was one of the worst on record as more than 58,000 wildfires burned more than 8.8 million acres across the United States. Nearly 26,000 structures were destroyed — more than double the previous annual record — and 19 valiant members of America’s firefighting community lost their lives. Across the country, more than 98 million people live within or adjacent to lands susceptible to wildfires. As more and more people move into or near wildfire-prone areas, it’s paramount...

U.S. Department of the Interior says Arrests of Illegal Aliens on Federal Borderlands Increased by Nearly 4,000% under Trump/Zinke Surge Operations

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DOI Law Enforcement also staging in anticipation of approaching caravan


Washington, DC - - (November 9, 2018) - - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced that in the first six months of a pilot program to provide an increased Interior law enforcement presence on identified Interior lands along the US-Mexico border, arrests of illegal aliens entering the United States increased by nearly 4,000 percent. In May of 2018, Secretary Zinke directed a Border Support Surge initiative, which coordinated law enforcement officers from the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Border Patrol to execute high level operations to patrol and protect the border with Mexico. The team saw immediate results. This increa...

U.S. Department of the Interior to Commemorate Four Hundred Years of African-American History

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Fifteen Federal Commission Members Appointed to Lead the Anniversary Commemoration in 2019


Washington, DC - - (November 2, 2018) - - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced the appointment of a 15-member commission to coordinate the commemoration of the 400-year anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to the English colonies in 1619.

The 400 Years of African-American History Commission, established by Congress on January 8, 2018, will plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities throughout the United States to recognize and highlight 400 years of African-American contributions. The bill had bipartisan support, and included sponsors from 23 States and the District of Columbia. “I am honored to appoint this group to oversee ...

U.S. Department of the Interior Approves Long-Awaited First Oil Production Facility in Federal Waters Offshore Alaska

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Washington, DC - - (October 24, 2018) - - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced a long-awaited development for oil and gas energy production offshore the state of Alaska. Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued conditional approval to Hilcorp Alaska LLC for its Liberty Project oil and gas development and production plan. If developed, the facility would be the first oil and gas production facility in federal waters off Alaska.

View of an operational gravel island rig offshore Alaska.
(Photo by Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement)

Hilcorp proposes to build a nine-acre artificial gravel island in the shallow waters of the Beaufort Sea, about...

U.S. Department of the Interior Announces Multi-Billion Dollar Regulatory Relief in FY 2018

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(October 17, 2018) - - On this date the U.S. Department of the Interior published the following information:


Washington, DC - - Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced its success in reducing the Department's regulatory burden in support of and compliance with President Donald Trump's Executive Order 13771 on Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs. Interior has been a leader in the Trump Administration at cutting bureaucratic red tape. Fiscal Year 2018 regulatory reform actions have resulted in a savings of roughly $2.5 billion in net present value. Since January 2017, Interior has withdrawn more than 150 proposed rulemakings from the regulatory agenda and finalized no less than 19 deregulatory actions in FY2018. These regulatory reforms coupled with historic...

More Than $50 Million in Grants from U.S. Department of the Interior Will Support State Wildlife Conservation Projects

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Washington, DC - - (September 28, 2018) - - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced over $50 million in funding to states through the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program. The funds will support state conservation efforts of non-game fish and wildlife.

The SWG Program is the only federal program with the explicit goal of preventing endangered species listings.

“Collaborative conservation is a joint effort,” said Secretary Zinke. “When the federal and state governments work together, we can achieve the best outcomes. This funding is an investment in the future of our wildlife. When we can recover species before they are listed under the Endangered Species Act, that means more federal resources for the other species that need it most.” T...

U.S. Department of the Interior Finalizes New Waste Prevention Rule

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The new rule re-establishes long-standing requirements and eliminates duplicative regulations that hurt states and Tribes



Washington, DC - - (September 18, 2018) - - As part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing goal to reduce the regulatory burden on the American people and foster economic growth and energy development by using innovation, best science, and best practices, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced a final rule that revises the 2016 Waste Prevention Rule (also known as the Venting and Flaring Rule). The new rule, which included a 60-day public comment period, will reduce unnecessary burdens on the private sector and restore proven regulations at a time when investment in Federal onshore oil and gas is skyrocketing. “S...