This Week, at Interior

This week marked Climate Week, a chance for the Biden-Harris administration to continue demonstrating its commitment to addressing the climate crisis.

At Interior, we marked progress with multiple announcements to expand access to the outdoors, invest in climate resilience and restoration, and strengthen communities across our nation.

For example, in the single largest investment ever from the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, the National Park Service will invest more than $254 million into 54 projects in 24 states to redevelop or create new local parks that will help increase access to the outdoors, offer safer spaces, enhance the visitor experience and improve accessibility.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton joined local, state, federal and Tribal leaders to sign five water conservation agreements funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda that will advance water conservation across the West in the face of historic drought. Together the agreements are expected to conserve hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water. The announcement is part of the Administration’s all-of-government effort to strengthen the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System to support the families, farmers and ecosystems that rely on this vital basin.

And Interior this week announced a $71 million investment to electrify homes in 13 Tribal communities across Indian Country. This funding from the Inflation Reduction Act – the largest ever investment in climate – is a critical step toward the goal of electrifying all homes in the United States with clean energy sources and advances the administration’s work to reach a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035.  

Interior also announced nearly $92 million in Investing in America funding for 19 projects to restore and protect aquatic ecosystems. It comes in part from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will be awarded to research and construct projects in California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington through the Bureau of Reclamation. These projects will improve the health of fish, wildlife and aquatic ecosystems.  

And finally, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement this week announced more than $9.9 million for Colorado to clean up dangerous and polluting abandoned mine lands, while creating good-paying, family-sustaining jobs and catalyzing economic opportunity. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a total of $16 billion to address legacy pollution. Of that, the bureau has $11.3 billion to devote to abandoned mine lands over 15 years.

In the continuing effort to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples and human trafficking, the Departments of the Interior and Justice this week cohosted a virtual roundtable focused on improving media coverage of MMIP issues. The event comes as a response to recommendations from the Not Invisible Act Commission – a cross jurisdictional federal advisory committee, created by Secretary Haaland during her time in Congress. The roundtable provided a venue for Tribal leaders and representatives, survivors, advocates, and journalists to share the lessons learned and challenges faced in covering these issues.  

U.S. Geological Survey Director David Applegate took part in a celebration this week, marking the 40th anniversary of the Arctic Research and Policy Act, or ARPA. That landmark law laid the groundwork for collaboration between federal agencies and other groups working in the Arctic. In his remarks Director Applegate highlighted how USGS is a leader in providing vital information about climate change, and works with its federal, state and Tribal partners to better understand how Alaskan communities can become more resilient to the effects of a changing climate.

The mission is over for the Landsat 7 satellite, after more than 132,000 trips around the Earth and more than 3.3 million images. Launched in 1999, the hardy spacecraft exceeded its initial 5-year mission by 20 years, delivering invaluable scientific data for a full quarter century. The joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey's Landsat mission continues on with Landsat 8 and 9, and the upcoming Landsat Next.

This Saturday, September 28, is National Public Lands Day, celebrating the connection between people and the green spaces in their communities with a coast-to-coast volunteer effort. As part of the national celebration, all entrance fees will be waived at all national parks and other public lands.

And our social media Picture of the Week, the colors of autumn coming alive in Michigan along Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Sleeping Bear is best known for its clear blue waters, and 65 miles of pristine sand, but this time of year, the rolling woodlands are the place to get that perfect fall photo.

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That's This Week at Interior!