Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and USVI Governor John de Jongh. At a press conferences on the islands of St. Croix and St. John, Kempthorne awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to the USVI from Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs.
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Secretary Kempthorne Announces
Major Grants for Virgin Islands,
Joins Gov. de Jongh and Del. Christiansen
in Tours of Hospitals,
Proposed
School Site and Parklands
With the conclusion of an official two-day visit to the U.S.
Virgin Islands, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne fulfilled his commitment
to visit each of the U.S. territories and freely associated states for which
he has significant responsibilities.
Following a private meeting with USVI Governor John de
Jongh and Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christiansen, Kempthorne announced
an agreement with the two leaders to form a Working Group to identify steps
necessary to complete a land swap between the Government of the Virgin Islands
and the National Park Service to provide a usable site on the island of St.
John for the construction of a high school. Currently, high school students
on St. John must commute to school by boat each day. Kempthorne, de Jongh and
Christiansen visited Estate Grange (Alexander Hamilton’s boyhood home)
and Castle Nugent, both properties discussed as suitable for acquisition by
the National Park Service as part of the proposed land swap. They also visited
the 10-acre site within the park that has been proposed as the location for
the new school.
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U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett (right) and U.S. Department of Energy Acting Deputy Secretary Jeffrey F. Kupfer announced the designation of DOE’s B Reactor as a National Historic Landmark on Monday.
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DOI Designates B Reactor at
DOE’s Hanford Site as a National Historic Landmark
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Acting Deputy Secretary Jeffrey F. Kupfer announced the designation of DOE’s B Reactor as a National Historic Landmark and unveiled DOE’s plan for a new public access program to enable American citizens to visit B Reactor during the 2009 tourist season. The B Reactor at DOE’s Hanford Site in southeast Washington State was the world’s first industrial-scale nuclear reactor and produced plutonium for the atomic weapon that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan to end World War II (WWII).
"B Reactor has a special feeling and association – as a landmark should. For its role in the events that ended World War II, the B Reactor holds a powerful historic significance," DOI Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett said. "Scientists, engineers, and skilled workers showed the power of human ingenuity and enterprise in serving at this significant point in U.S. history."
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 National Park Service
NPS unveils new website for children. The Kids Zone, at http://www.nps.gov, contains more than 50 interactive activities designed to connect children with the people, places, and events commemorated in the country’s 391 National Park Service sites. more
 Bureau of Reclamation
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Ames Construction, Inc. of Phoenix and Coffman Specialties, Inc., of San Diego, a contract of $98.3 million to construct a water reservoir and water delivery project in Imperial County, Calif. more
 Minerals Management Service
Secretary Kempthorne announced that the Western Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207, held in New Orleans, attracted $487,297,676 in high bids. more
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
FWS is awarding more than $337,681 in international conservation grants under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund to aid recovery of endangered sea turtles in six countries and provide training for natural resource managers in Latin America and the Caribbean. more
 U.S. Geological Survey
USGS Scientists proposed a strategy to study the Nation's ground-water supply as part of the Federal government's effort to help address the Nation's increasing competition for water. more
 Bureau of Land Management
The BLM is a collaborator with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in the support, promotion, and design of the new exhibition, called “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil.” more
 Bureau of Indian Affairs
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development – Indian Affairs George T. Skibine offered praise for the installation and activation of the first large-scale wind turbine to be located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. more
 Office of Surface Mining
Nearly 15,000 scientists, researchers, business leaders and government officials gathered for an international geographic information systems conference watched as OSM was recognized for its vision and leadership in using technology to make the Nation’s coal mines safer for the public and to protect the environment. more
DOI Information on Avian Influenza
Visit Pandemic & Avian Flu.gov for all related federal information.
PandemicFlu.gov en Español
Readers of People, Land & Water, the U.S. Department of the Interior's news magazine, will now be able to access the publication on the Web. more
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