Press Releases

In celebration of Great Outdoors Month and National Trails Day on June 7, the Department of the Interior today announced the designation of five new National Recreation Trails in six states, adding 387 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.

The Department of the Interior today announced the approval of the mining plan modification for the Bull Mountains coal mine in Montana, a key step in advancing President Donald J. Trump’s energy emergency directives and strengthening U.S. energy partnerships abroad.

The Department of the Interior today announced the availability of $130 million in fiscal year 2025 funding through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program—an initiative aimed at turning legacy coal mining sites into engines of economic growth.

In support of President Trump’s commitment to unleashing American energy and revitalizing coal country, the Department of the Interior today announced the availability of more than $119 million in fiscal year 2025 abandoned mine land reclamation fee-based grants for eligible states and tribes. 

The Department of the Interior today announced the formal rescission of 18 obsolete or redundant Bureau of Land Management regulations in a decisive move to advance America’s energy independence and economic vitality.

The Department of the Interior has proposed rescinding a rule put in place last year that added new restrictions on oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

The Department of the Interior today announced the implementation of emergency permitting procedures to expeditiously review geothermal energy projects critical for U.S. national security and Energy Dominance.

In a major step toward long-term water resilience in the American West, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation—partnering with the Upper Colorado River Commission—have announced significant progress in deploying a $50 million investment to enhance water infrastructure across the Upper Colorado River Basin.

In a groundbreaking move to bolster domestic critical mineral production, the U.S. Department of the Interior has greenlit the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in San Juan County, Utah—marking the nation's first project approved under a newly accelerated 14-day environmental review process, initiated in response to the national energy emergency declared by President Donald J. Trump.

In line with the Trump Administration’s focus on public safety and fast, effective disaster response, the Department of the Interior has sent a team to help communities in Southern California recover from recent wildfires and severe wind events.