Hi I’m Scott Tucker, Superintendent of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and you’re
watching “This Week at Interior.”
This Week at Interior
Secretary Haaland traveled to New Mexico this week to highlight how investments from President
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will address
legacy pollution, invest in new clean energy projects, and lower energy costs for working
families.
Joined by administration leaders including National Economic Council Director Brian Deese,
the Secretary announced that Interior has awarded an initial $560 million to 24 states
to begin work to plug, cap and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells and address legacy pollution.
In California, the Secretary joined Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim
Touton to announce the allocation of more than $309 million in funding from the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law for the planning, design and construction of water reuse projects across
the country.
The announcement capped a two-day swing through central and southern California to highlight
how investments from the law will help address the worsening drought crisis, and expand access
to clean drinking water for families, farmers and wildlife.
Interior has announced urgent action to improve and protect the long-term sustainability of
the Colorado River System.
That includes the Bureau of Reclamation’s determination for the annual operations for
Lake Powell and Lake Mead in 2023 in light of critically low reservoir conditions.
The move comes amid the worsening drought crisis that continues to impact communities
across the West.
The Biden-Harris administration is making unprecedented investments in drought resilience
and water management, including a historic $8.3 billion investment through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law and a new $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Leadership from Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week announced a
nearly $15.8 million investment in the Delaware River watershed to improve wildlife habitat,
enhance resilience to climate change, and engage underserved communities in conservation.
Funding for 45 grants will be provided by the Service in partnership with the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
This includes $4.7 million from the Infrastructure Law to support innovative green-infrastructure
projects that contribute to the health and economic vitality of communities in the watershed.
Interior this week also announced that historic funding is headed for the Klamath Basin.
Nearly $26 million has been allocated for restoration projects, including nearly $16
million for ecosystem restoration and $10 million to expand the Klamath Falls National
Fish Hatchery, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Bureau of Reclamation will also fund 10 grants totaling $2.2 million to improve fish
and wildlife habitat, including projects that remove fish passage barriers, enhance instream
habitat, conserve water, and reduce fine sediment.
Interior this week announced the next steps for potential offshore wind energy in the
Gulf of Maine.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will gauge interest in wind development while it
seeks feedback from stakeholders, industry, Tribes and ocean users.
The move advances the Biden-Harris administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind
energy capacity by 2030.
David Applegate was sworn in this week as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey by
Secretary Haaland.
David has been serving as USGS’s Associate Director for Natural Hazards, exercising the
delegated authority of the Director since January 20, 2021.
In accepting his position, David said: “Now more than ever — as changes in the natural
world, along with growing human demands, put health and safety, national security and economies
at risk — science from USGS will play an indispensable role in the well-being of our
nation and planet Earth.”
And our social media Picture of the Week, Idaho's Big Southern Butte, managed by the
Bureau of Land Management.
It's one of the largest volcanic domes in the world but, at 300,000 years old, it is
also one of the youngest.
Hikers who trek to the 7,550-foot-high summit are rewarded with spectacular panoramic views.
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That's This Week at Interior.