http://www.doi.gov/news.html U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) latest news releases. en-us feedback@ios.doi.gov (DOI Office of Communications (Web Content Manager) 11/20/2009 1:50 PM EST http://www.doi.gov/images/doi_seal.jpg http://www.doi.gov/ On Friday, December 4, 2009 - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar be the featured speak at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Tamiami Trail Bridge Project adjacent to the Everglades National Park. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District is constructing the project that includes a one-mile bridge and other roadway modifications to allow increased water flows to Everglades National Park. This will mark a new beginning for the Park and a major milestone along the journey to restore America’s Everglades. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/112009.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Interior is taking immediate actions to strengthen oversight of state surface coal mining programs and to promulgate Federal regulations to better protect streams affected by surface coal mining operations, Interior officials announced today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released the annual independent audit of Indian trust fund financial statements. In fiscal year 2009, about $756 million was disbursed to Indian beneficiaries including $342 million to individual account holders and $414 million to tribal governments. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111809a.html DENVER, CO – The Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) today announced that it disbursed more than $10.68 billion in Fiscal Year 2009 from revenues collected from energy and mineral production on Federal and American Indian lands, including energy and mineral production on the Federal Outer Continental Shelf. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111709.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that their agencies would acquire seven parcels of high value conservation land, totaling 5,026 acres in Colorado, Montana and Nevada for $11.7 million. The largest is a 4,573-acre property within the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in Colorado. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111609.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department will hold an oil and natural gas lease sale for the Central Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf that will offer nearly 36 million acres and could produce up to 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 5.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, November 13, 2009, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, will present a lecture to U.S. Department of the Interior employees and conservation partners titled Conservation and Communities: The hifting Paradigm of International Conservation. Her remarks will focus on the growing need for global approaches to conservation, as exemplified by the challenge of addressing climate change. Using the Jane Goodall Institute’s unique TACARE program in Tanzania as an example, she will share her view of international conservation—what it takes to achieve long-term success and the critical role of local populations and youth. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111209.html WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton today announced that the brown pelican, a species once decimated by the pesticide DDT, has recovered and is being removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111109.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Fund, Director of the National Park Service, Jon Jarvis, and other officials at the Vietnam Veteran’s National Memorial at 12:45 p.m. tomorrow to pay tribute to veterans across the country in commemoration of Veteran’s Day. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111009c.html ON THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 2009, Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes will deliver the keynote address for the “Surfacing the Solutions” water conference at the Westin Bonaventura Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The conference features federal and state leaders, natural resource experts, elected officials and community stakeholders who will present potential solutions to California current drought-induced water crisis and long-term water supply challenges. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111009a.html On Wednesday, November 11, 2009- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Sam Hamilton will host a teleconference to make a significant wildlife recovery announcement. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/111009.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Expanded action and increased accountability by the federal government are the focus of a draft strategy for restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay required by President Obama’s Executive Order. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110909c.html BISMARCK, N.D. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told energy executives today that the President’s comprehensive energy strategy seeks to responsibly develop all fronts and that North Dakota offers significant conventional and renewable resources that can help to reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy while creating new jobs. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110909b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released the following statement on the Obama Administration’s actions to deal with the California Water Crisis: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110909ahtml.html TODAY, Monday, November 9, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a news media teleconference to discuss several major ongoing Obama Administration actions to help California deal with its critical water supply issues and the current drought-related crisis. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110909.html SHANKSVILLE, Pa. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Senator Bob Casey and the families of the Flight 93 heroes to break ground on the Flight 93 National Memorial. Senator Arlen Specter and Congressmen John Murtha and Bill Shuster had representatives there on their behalf. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110709.html On Monday, November 9, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will deliver keynote remarks at the Great Plains Energy Expo and Showcase at the Civic Center in Bismarck, North Dakota as part of his renewable energy and climate impacts tour of the region. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110609a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised the Senate’s confirmation of Joseph Pizarchik as director of the Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110609.html WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Citing what he called America’s urgent need for a diverse energy supply, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today detailed several renewable energy projects that are on a fast track, including a 400-megawatt solar tower development available for public review and five others that are poised to begin environmental impact studies. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110509b.html SHANKSVILLE, Pa. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Senator Bob Casey, Representatives John Murtha and Bill Shuster and the families of the Flight 93 heroes to break ground on the Flight 93 National Memorial at noon on Nov. 7. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110509ai.html WASHINGTON, DC. – More than 400 members of federally recognized tribes gathered today at the Department of the Interior at a Tribal Nations Conference hosted by President Barack Obama, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Cabinet Members. Secretary Salazar’s opening remarks at the conference, as prepared for delivery, are below: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110509.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today issued the following statement on the California State Legislature’s passage of legislation to modernize the state’s water infrastructure: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110409.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that areas managed by the department will not charge entrance fees on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110309a.html WASHINGTON – On Thursday, November 5th, 2009, President Obama will host the White House Tribal Nations Conference. As part of President Obama’s sustained outreach to the American people, this conference will provide leaders from the 564 federally recognized tribes the opportunity to interact directly with the President and representatives from the highest levels of his Administration. Each federally recognized tribe has been invited to send one representative to the conference. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, November 3 at 1:00 PM Eastern, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk, White House Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs Kim Teehee, and White House Associate Director for Intergovernmental Affairs Jodi Gillette will hold a conference call with interested reporters to discuss the upcoming White House Tribal Nations Conference. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110209a.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today hosted a Clean Energy Economy Forum with stakeholders from 39 states across the country at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/110209.html WASHINGTON – On Monday, November 2, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will host a Clean Energy Economy Forum with stakeholders from 39 States across the country at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Deputy Secretary David Hayes and other top Department of Interior officials will be featured speakers at the forum, which will include a focus on the importance of renewable energy and job creation on public lands, climate impact and adaptation, and efforts to support and maintain the treasured landscapes of America in the emerging clean energy economy. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/103009.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a ceremony with Harry E. Johnson, Sr., President of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., Christine King Farris, sister to Martin Luther King Jr.; EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and members of the Black and Hispanic Caucuses, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today signed a permit allowing construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102909b.html WASHINGTON, D.C.--The United States is using less water than during the peak years of 1975 and 1980, according to water use estimates for 2005. Despite a 30 percent population increase during the past 25 years, overall water use has remained fairly stable according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102909a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Christine King Ferris, Dr. Martin Luther King’s sister; Harry E. Johnson Sr., President and CEO, Memorial Foundation; EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson; Members of the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses and others for a press conference at the site of the proposed Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial on Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. EDT. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102909.html On Thursday, October 29, 2009, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science Anne Castle will give the keynote address at “The Atlantic's Water Summit: Global Experts Tackling the 21st Century's Top Environmental Concern” at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102809c.html WASHINGTON – Obama Administration officials today released a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by nine Federal Departments and Agencies to make it faster and simpler to build transmission lines on Federal lands. The goal of the agreement is to speed approval of new transmission lines, reduce expense and uncertainty in the process, generate cost savings, increase accessibility to renewable energy and jumpstart job creation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102809a.html HOUSTON, Texas – Visiting the Energy Capital of the World, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the advanced power transmission and distribution technology adopted by CenterPoint Energy Houston, a regional utility that received a $200 million federal grant to spur its deployment of a Smart Grid that will improve efficiency and help area consumers manage and control their electricity usage. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded $2.86 million to AKK-De Los Santos Construction Company of Chandler, Ariz. under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102809f.htm On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Obama Administration Officials will hold a conference call with reporters to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding agreed to by nine federal agencies on transmission siting on federal lands. Secretary Salazar, Chair Nancy Sutley of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Chairman Jon Wellinghoff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Deputy Under Secretary Dorothy Robyn of the Department of Defense will participate on the call. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102709e.htm WASHINGTON, D.C. – There is not enough evidence to meet the legal requirements for federal recognition of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs George T. Skibine said today. The Department of then Interior, therefore, has issued a final determination not to acknowledge the petitioner group as a federally-recognized Indian tribe. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102709dl.htm WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar testified today on “The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act” before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The text of his prepared testimony is below: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102709a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff will testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday, October 27. They will focus on the importance of creating a system of clean energy incentives that will spur the development of new sources of energy and millions of green jobs while confronting the threat of carbon pollution. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102609b.html On Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will keynote the National Association of Hispanic Publishers, Media and Legislative Summit Luncheon at the National Press Club. Secretary Salazar will highlight his background and commitment to public service, his vision for an inclusive US Department of Interior, and discuss what is underway to engage the Latino community in critical issues facing the Department. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102609a.html SHANKSVILLE, Pa. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Senator Bob Casey, Representatives John Murtha and Bill Shuster and the families of the Flight 93 heroes to break ground on the Flight 93 National Memorial at noon on Nov. 7. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102609.html ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told Native Alaska representatives today that he is launching a comprehensive review of the Department’s subsistence management policies and programs on federal lands to make them work more effectively to meet the needs of Native Alaskan communities. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised the Senate’s confirmation of Dr. Marcia McNutt as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Science Advisor to the Secretary. The President nominated her for the positions in July. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102209.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today took steps to help the country develop technologies that could potentially unlock the nation’s oil shale reserves while protecting taxpayers, water resources, the environment, and local communities http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102009.html ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will make an announcement concerning the nation’s oil shale research, development and demonstration program, which is testing the feasibility of extracting petroleum-like fluids from sedimentary rock deposits on U.S. public lands while protecting taxpayers, water resources, the environment, and local communities. News organizations wishing to participate in the interactive teleconference, which begins at 1:00 p.m. EDT, should dial 1-888-790-2037 and enter the access code 6851298. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101909.html CARY, North Carolina -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) met today with employees of Southern Energy Management, a home-grown sustainable energy company, and toured the firm’s signature project -- one of the largest solar array energy systems in the Southeast. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101609a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland today announced a number of species conservation proposals, resolutions and other agenda items that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted on behalf of the United States government for consideration during the upcoming meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Strickland will lead the United States’ delegation to CoP15, on behalf of the U.S. government. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101609.html On Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in Cary, N.C., Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu will address the Business Council, a national organization of top CEOs, on the nation’s energy needs and the potential for more renewable energy development. They will hold a media availability and then tour a solar farm with Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101509.html WASHINGTON, D.C.- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to additional tribes to help improve infrastructure and water supplies while bringing jobs to Indian country. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101409d.html WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, announced that the United States supports a proposal submitted by the principality of Monaco to list the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in Appendix I of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). CITES Appendix-I listing affords a species stringent protection and prohibits all international commercial trade. The fifteenth regular meeting of the CITES parties is scheduled for March 13-24, 2010 in Doha, Qatar (CoP15). Strickland will lead the United States’ delegation to CoP15, on behalf of the U.S. government. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101409c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – To celebrate the ongoing commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Cape Lookout Lighthouse in North Carolina, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that project funds with be provided for repairs enabling the National Park Service to re-open the lighthouse to the public. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101409a.html On TODAY, October 14, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a news media teleconference to discuss a schedule of timber sales on public lands in Western Oregon and initial steps towards achieving a long-term strategy for forest management in the area. Joining the Secretary for the 1:30 p.m. EDT call will be U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101409.html On Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) on a telephone press conference call to make an announcement concerning Cape Lookout Lighthouse in Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina and to preview Secretary Salazar’s trip to North Carolina on Friday. The National Park Service is currently celebrating the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101309c.html On Wednesday, October 14, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a news media teleconference to discuss a schedule of timber sales on public lands in Western Oregon and initial steps towards achieving a long-term strategy for forest management in the area. Joining the Secretary on the 1:30 p.m. EDT conference call will be Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101309b.html On Washington, DC - Today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, bipartisan members of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission, activist/actor Eva Longoria Parker, producer Emilio Estefan, Henry R. Muñoz III and bipartisan Members of Congress to announce the leadership of the Commission and discuss future activities related to the study of the potential national museum in Washington, D.C. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101309a.html On Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join bipartisan members of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission, activist/actor Eva Longoria-Parker, producer Emilio Estefan, Chairman of the Latino Commission Henry R. Muñoz III and bipartisan Members of Congress to announce the leadership of the Commission and discuss future activities related to the study of the potential national museum in Washington, D.C. The potential museum would pay tribute to the art, culture, and history of the Latino community in the United States. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101309.html PHOENIX, Arizona – Calling it a reflection of growing energy concerns across the nation, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the public-private partnership that developed the Dry Lake Wind Power Project that now feeds clean, renewable energy to homes and businesses in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101209a.html LOS ANGELES, CA -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed what they called “a model of federal-state initiative and cooperation” to use expedited review and processing and Recovery Act funding to spur the development of environmentally appropriate renewable energy on U.S. lands in California. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101209.html On Monday, October 12, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey at the dedication of the Dry Lake Wind Power Project in Heber, Arizona. The Dry Lake Wind Power Project the first commercial-scale wind energy development in Arizona. The wind turbines are located on a combination of the public lands managed by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Trust Lands, and private lands on the Rocking Chair Ranch in Navajo County, demonstrating a strong public-private partnership to support renewable energy in the State of Arizona. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101109b.html On Monday, October 12, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance coordination and cooperation between DOI and the State of California for permitting renewable energy applications in California. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101109a.html San Joaquin Valley, CA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor are meeting this afternoon with farmers at a Central Valley project site and with Latino farmworkers in the region to discuss ways to deal with the California drought and water supply issues. The tour of Del Bosque Farms is open to credentialed members of the media. A media availability will also follow the meeting in Mendota. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/101109.html PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey today officially opened a California Renewable Energy Coordination Office, one of several Interior initiatives to expedite the leasing and production of renewable energy resources on public lands in the West. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100909c.html Washington, D.C. – Interior Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk will be a speaker at the upcoming 66th Annual National Congress of American Indians Convention and Trade Show being held October 11-16, 2009, at the Palm Springs Convention Center in California. He will address the convention’s second general assembly on Monday, October 12, where he will discuss the Department’s law enforcement, education and economic development initiatives in Indian Country. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100909b.html On Monday, October 11, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey at the dedication of the Dry Lake Wind Power Project in Heber, Arizona. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100909a.html YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Ca. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join new National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis for a tour of Yosemite National Park and a presentation of Park Ranger Shelton Johnson’s award-winning Buffalo Soldier Program on Saturday October 10, 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100909.html WASHINGTON, DC. A special Bureau of Land Management report on a controversial 2008 oil and gas lease sale in Utah, delivered today to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, recommends that the BLM lead the development of a comprehensive interagency strategy to address energy leasing, development, and related air quality concerns for Utah and other western states. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100809a.html PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – On Friday, October 9, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bob Abbey, Director if the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), will celebrate the opening of BLM's California Renewable Energy Coordination Office, one of four opening in the West to facilitate the development of renewable energy resources on public lands. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100809.html ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will receive the recommendations of an interdisciplinary team that conducted extensive reviews of 77 oil and gas parcels in Utah that the Bureau of Land Management offered in a December 19, 2008 lease auction and that were the subject of a temporary injunction by a federal district court. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100709b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a contract totaling $27.74 million to the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority for the construction of Reaches 2 through 6 of the Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline. NECA, a construction firm wholly-owned and operated by the Navajo Nation, will use the funds to construct the remaining 21-mile stretch (out of a total project of 29 miles) of the municipal pipeline. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100709a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today proposed a national solution to restore the health of America’s wild horse herds and the rangelands that support them by creating a cost-efficient, sustainable management program that includes the possible creation of wild horse preserves on the productive grasslands of the Midwest and East. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100709.html On Wednesday, October 7, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey will hold a news media teleconference to announce a major decision concerning BLM’s wild horse and burro program. The teleconference will begin at 1:00 p.m. EDT and will be available to reporters and editors around the nation who may participate by dialing 1-888-324-7177 and entering the access code 2174436. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100609.html WASHINGTOM, DC-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision today not to hear Department of the Interior v. Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corp: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100509.html WASHINGTON - The Minerals Management Service and Smithsonian scientists and curators have discovered and archived about 300 new species of marine invertebrates, a collaborative project spanning three decades that will be the focus of a public lecture at the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum on October 7. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100209.html WASHINGTON, DC — In a continuing effort to improve transparency and openness at the Department of the Interior, Secretary Salazar announced that he is launching four new web tools that will help Americans connect with the nation's heritage, natural resources, and cultures. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100109c.html WASHINGTON D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined New Mexico’s congressional delegation to advance a vital water supply project that will provide clean, safe and reliable water to a quarter of a million people in the Navajo Nation, the City of Gallup and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. The action clears the way for resolving the Navajo Nation’s long-standing water rights claims in the state. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/100109a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told energy industry officials today that the federal government’s past electric transmission policy has been as fragmented and disjointed as the nation’s outdated power grid and that one of President Obama’s top energy priorities is to speed the development of a 21st Century network to move American energy more cleanly, efficiently and safely around the nation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/093009b.html On Thursday, October 1, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor, and other representatives of the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico to make an announcement regarding future activities related to the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/093009c.html WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Obama Administration is fully engaged in a coordinated response to California’s ongoing water crisis, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Chair Nancy Sutley of the White House Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) and other top Obama Administration officials reported today at a public meeting with California state officials in Washington, D.C. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/093009a.html WASHINGTON — PacificCorp, local, state, tribal and federal partners have reached a draft agreement on a proposal to remove four dams on the Klamath River in Oregon and California, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/093009.html WASAHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Tony Babauta expressed their deepest sympathies to the Governor and people of American Samoa following an earthquake and tsunami surges that have hit the U.S. Pacific Territory. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092909a.html On Wednesday, September 30, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will deliver a keynote address to Energy Daily's Transmission Siting Policy Summit at the National Press Club. The Secretary’s presentation will begin at 8:00 a.m. EDT. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092909.html ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, other federal and state officials and members of the public will discuss strategies for addressing a range of water supply challenges facing California at a public forum at the South Interior Building in Washington, D.C. This is the second public meeting on California water challenges jointly held by Interior and California officials. The first was in Sacramento, California, on August 12. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092809.html ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, other federal and state officials and members of the public will discuss strategies for addressing a range of water supply challenges facing California at a public forum at the South Interior Building in Washington, D.C. This is the second public meeting on California water challenges jointly held by Interior and California officials. The first was in Sacramento, California, on August 12. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092509c.html MOSCA, Co. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will participate in Public Lands Day events on September 26 at Great Sand Dunes National Park to promote volunteerism and service. As part of the celebration, Secretary Salazar will unveil a series of stained glass panels created by Artist in Residence Kay Mallouf for the visitor center http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092509b.html On Monday, September 28, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit with Department of Interior employees at the National Park Service Regional Headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska and hold a news media availability immediately after the meeting. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092509a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised the Senate's confirmation of Jonathan Jarvis to be director of the National Park Service. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092509.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - In honor of Public Lands Day, this Saturday, September 26, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are pleased to announce a variety of planned activities, including: cleaning up rivers, lakes and wetlands; mulching the Lincoln Memorial; restoring fish and wildlife habitat; a wild horse auction, and free entrance at hundreds of federal recreation sites on public lands nationwide. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092409a.html WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today commended the members of the National Parks Second Century Commission for their report on the future of the National Park System, which includes a wide range of recommendations for enhancing all aspects of our national parks. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092409.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today was joined by college football All-American and Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle to announce a new partnership that will introduce an innovative physical fitness and health program into Interior-funded American Indian schools. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092309.html WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will participate in a teleconference hosted by the National Parks Second Century Commission on September 24 to release its report entitled, "Advancing the National Park Idea." http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092309a.html Washington, DC - A federal commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of the American Latino met for the first time on September 18 and 19, 2009 in Washington, D.C. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092309b.html ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will deliver the keynote address at the Department of Justice’s 2009 Hispanic Heritage Month Commemorative Program. Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver opening remarks at the 11:00 a.m. EDT ceremony. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092209b.html WASHINGTON, DC,- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that at the invitation of the United States and Canada, the World Heritage Committee is sending experts from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to visit the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park next week. The experts will evaluate the status of the joint U.S - Canadian World Heritage site and provide recommendations for long-term protection of the park, in particular from potential external threats in the Flathead River Valley. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092209a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – The federal government has received more than 350,000 comments from the public regarding the development of a comprehensive offshore energy strategy for the Outer Continental Shelf, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092209.html On Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Indian Affairs Larry EchoHawk will join football All-American and Rhodes Scholar Myron L. Rolle to announce an innovative health program for Indian schools. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092109a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced new steps to strengthen the Department’s ethics program, providing more financial and personnel resources, increasing the authority of ethics officers, and requiring greater employee involvement in evaluating performance, accountability and compliance. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/092109.html WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation is providing $36.2 million to the Gila River Indian Community under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091809b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be the beneficiaries of $14.25 million for historic preservation grants aimed at providing assistance in the repair of historic buildings on their campuses. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091809a.html WASHINGTON, D.C.--Tomorrow Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will be joined by Dr. Sidney A. Ribeau, President of Howard University, to announce 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) grants as part American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These colleges and universities will be the beneficiaries of historic preservation grants aimed at providing assistance in the repair of historic buildings on their campuses. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Interior Department is making swift progress on President Obama’s clean energy agenda, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today at the Alliance to Save Energy’s Summit in the Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. The full text of Secretary Salazar’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091709.html WASHINGTON — Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar today announced that he has named David Nawi of Sacramento,Calif.,as Senior Advisor to the Secretary for California and Nevada. "The current water crisis and land management challenges in our nation’s most populous state, California,as well as the extensive Interior land resources in Nevada can be better served with an ‘on the ground' representative of the Department and the Administration," said Secretary Salazar. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091609a.html WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today designated the “Walkway Over the Hudson” project on the Hudson River in New York as a National Recreation Trail. The project, which has turned an historic railroad bridge into a scenic biking and pedestrian pathway, will now be part of a national network of scenic, historic, and recreation trails. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091609b.html ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will address the Alliance to Save Energy’s Summit in the Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., to discuss President Obama’s vision for a clean energy economy and Interior’s role in facilitating environmentally responsible renewable energy production on public lands. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091509c.html On Wednesday, September 16, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will testify on initiatives to improve federal energy resource management and leasing programs for the Department of the Interior at a 10:00 a.m. EDT hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091509a.html WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded $20 million to the Rocky Boys North Central Rural Water project in north central Montana under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091509.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will address the Gateways and Tribal Communities Policy Forum on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Department of the Interior’s South Building. The speech is open to the news media. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091409a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today launched the Department of the Interior’s first-ever coordinated strategy to address current and future impacts of climate change on America’s land, water, ocean, fish, wildlife, and cultural resources. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091409.html WASHINGTON, D.C - Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that he will visit the Rough Rock Community School on Wednesday, Sept. 16, where he will be joined by Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley to attend a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Phase II portion of the Rough Rock Community School Replacement Project. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091109b.html SHANKSVILLE, PA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined former Secretary of State State General Colin Powell, former Pennsylvania Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and retired General Tommy Franks at the Eighth Annual Commemoration in honor of the heroic passengers of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091109a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Tony Babauta as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091109.html WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation will invest $2.5 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program projects. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091009c.html WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today issued the following statement regarding President Obama's nomination of Harris Sherman to be Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment at the United States Department of Agriculture: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091009b.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a public meeting with federal and California officials to discuss strategies for addressing a range of water supply challenges facing the state. Joining the Secretary will be Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes and Director of California Department of Water Resources Lester Snow. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091009.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today marked the upcoming eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by meeting with families of the heroes who died on Flight 93, preventing an attack on Washington. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090909b.html WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the federal government has now made more than $1 billion in grants under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989, helping to conserve or restore more than 25.4 million acres of wetlands and associated habitat across the continent over the past two decades. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090909a.html WASHINGTON, DC -Hot Springs, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon National Parks will be the first sites commemorated in a new quarter-dollar program announced today by the U.S. Mint. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090909.html SHANKSVILLE, PA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, former Pennsylvania Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and retired General Tommy Franks at the Eighth Annual Commemoration in honor of the heroic passengers of Flight 93 on Sept 11. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090809a.html Bismarck, N.D. - Surrounded by fourth through eighth grade students at the Theodore Jamerson Elementary School, who joined him in viewing President Obama’s address on the importance of learning to their future, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk underscored the President’s message by relating to them the importance of education in his own life. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090809.html LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, NV - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey today approved more than $135 million for a variety of restoration and improvement projects throughout Nevada and Lake Tahoe under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090409a.html WASHINGTON - Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that he will visit the Theodore Jamerson Elementary School (TJES) in Bismarck, N.D., to join students and teachers in viewing President Obama's address "My Education, My Future." The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funded school is located on the campus of the United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), and provides educational services for American Indian students in grades K-8. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090409.html LITTLE ROCK, ARK - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar reported today that "at the 200-day mark for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus program is creating jobs and providing lasting value to our economy and our environment in every state of the nation including Arkansas." http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090309a.html WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined President Obama in commemorating the 45th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the creation of the National Wilderness Preservation System by President Lyndon Johnson on Sept. 3, 1964. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the availability of coal mining guidelines developed to conserve and protect the endangered Indiana bat. The bat’s habitat stretches from the eastern United States through the Midwest, including 13 states with coal mining operations. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090209a.html On Thursday, September 3, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senator Mark Pryor will review the benefits of the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to citizens of Arkansas and the nation after 200 days of implementation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090209.html HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, AR – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit Hot Springs National Park and Little Rock Central High School on Thursday, Sept. 3. Secretary Salazar and Senator Mark Pryor will hold news media availability at Hot Springs National Park with Congressman Mike Ross and at Little Rock Central High School with Congressman Vic Snyder. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090109c.html Lakewood, Colo. – The Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area is kicking off BLM Colorado’s first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project. The BLM Colorado State Office awarded $60,000 in ARRA funding to the Colorado Youth Corps Association to conduct trail maintenance, construction, and restoration work for the western slope of the Gunnison Gorge NCA. Another $35,000 in ARRA funding will go to Bicycle Colorado to design and begin planning on the Gunnison Gorge NCA trail system. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/090109b.html Washington, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the federal government has reached agreement with all of the landowners for all properties needed for the construction of the Flight 93 Memorial in western Pennsylvania. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/083109b.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a press conference today at 3:00 p.m. to announce a major development on the progress of the Flight 93 memorial. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/083109.html NEWFOUND GAP, Tn – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Dolly Parton, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue and members of the two states’ congressional delegations to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Sept. 2. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/083109a.html SAN LUIS, CO - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will meet with San Luis Valley County Commissioners on Friday, August 28, to discuss opportunities to build upon the achievements of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and the designation of the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082709b.html DENVER, CO - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, joined Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.; former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.; Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal; and Western Area Power Administration Administrator Timothy Meeks to renewed their commitment to a nationally recognized program that is working to recover endangered fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin while water development continues in accordance with state and federal laws. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082709a.html PUEBLO, Co – On Friday, August 28, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a meeting in Pueblo with stakeholders to discuss the Fountain Creek watershed and the Arkansas Valley Conduit. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082709.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Archer Western Contractors, Ltd. of Phoenix, Arizona, a $13 million contract to construct two pumping plants near Farmington, New Mexico. The pumping plants are key features for continued development of the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project. That ongoing project, which Reclamation is developing for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, provides water for the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry farming enterprise of the Navajo Nation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082609a.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary Ken Salazar issued the following statement today on the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy:“We have lost a great leader and a great man today. Senator Kennedy was not just a colleague but a friend who inspired me, as he inspired so many, to serve this great country, to seek justice, and to care for the least among us. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. He will be sorely missed.” http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082609.html GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today visited the Grand Canyon’s South Rim to highlight $10.8 million in projects under President Obama’s economic recovery package that are creating jobs and stimulating the local economy http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082109.html WASHINGTON, D.C Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has identified two Challenge Grant projects in Idaho totaling $3.8 million that will share in funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082009c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has selected a Challenge Grant project in Utah that will receive more than $3.6 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082009e.html WASHINGTON, D.C. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has identified two Challenge Grant projects in Oregon that will share in $40 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082009d.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has identified eight Challenge Grant projects in California that will share $27.3 million – more than half of the $40 million announced today across the West under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082009b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has identified a project in Arizona which has been awarded a Challenge Grant of more than $1.8 million – part of $40 million in grants today announced under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/0820095.html ANCHORAGE, AK – On a week-long visit to Alaska, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland today highlighted more than $85 million that Interior is investing in Alaska under the President’s economic recovery package. The funding is designed to create jobs, stimulate local economies, and enable rehabilitation and improvement projects at national parks, refuges, and other public lands in the state. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/082009.html On Thursday, August 20, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit the Navajo Nation, meet with tribal officials and hold a news media availability with Nation President Joe Shirley at Window Rock, Arizona. Secretary Salazar will be accompanied by Interior Solicitor Hilary Tompkins and Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081909f.html WASHINGTON, DC - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation will award grants totaling more than $11.1 million to irrigation companies in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to fund salinity control projects within the Upper Colorado River Basin under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081909e.html GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senators John McCain and Mark Udall will hold a media availability on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081909d.html SUPERIOR, AZ – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senator John McCain and members of the Arizona Congressional delegation will hold a community meeting on August 21st to receive public comments regarding the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange Conservation Act. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081909c.html NEW ORLEANS — A sale of federal oil and natural gas leases for the Western Gulf of Mexico attracted $115,466,321 in high bids today, following yesterday’s $1.1 million sale of onshore energy leases in Utah, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced. To date this year, the department has offered 55 million acres of U.S. public land – onshore and offshore – for oil and gas development, generating more than $875 million in revenues. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081909a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Scientists detected mercury contamination in every fish sampled in 291 streams across the country, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081909.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today commended the Department of the Interior’s Blacks-in-Government (BIG) chapter for its community service and presented 10 recent high school graduates from the Washington, D.C area with college scholarships funded by BIG member http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081809b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will speak to the Department’s Blacks-In-Government Chapter and present the group’s college scholarship awards to Washington, D.C. area high school graduates. The scholarships were funded by the group’s community service program. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk announced today that the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan’s reservation proclamation has been signed. Approximately 147 acres, more or less, will serve as the Tribe’s initial reservation under the authority of the Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 986; 25 U.S.C. 467). The land is located in Wayland Township, Allegan County, Michigan. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081709.html BOZEMAN, MT – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that America’s national parks are seeing more visitors in 2009 than a year earlier, according to visitation information collected by the National Park Service (NPS). In the first half of 2009, national park units experienced 127,728,898 visits, an increase of nearly 4.5 million visits over the same period in 2008. In June alone, visitation to national parks increased by over 718,000 visits between 2008 to 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081409b.html YELLOWSTONE NP AND WASHINGTON, D.C.--Residents and critical infrastructure in the nation’s six highest-risk volcanic areas—including the Yellowstone region-- will benefit from increased monitoring and analysis as a result of Recovery Act funds being channeled into volcano monitoring, Secretary Salazar announced today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081309.html GUNNISON RIVER OVERLOOK, CO – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today dedicated the Bureau of Land Management’s newest national conservation area, the 210,000-acre Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area spanning three counties in western Colorado. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081209.html KALISPELL, Mt — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester today announced the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the World Heritage Center will conduct a review early this fall of the potential threats, such as proposed coal mining and oil and gas development, to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in Montana and Alberta, Canada. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081109b.html GRAND JUNCTION, CO – Tomorrow, August 12th, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will dedicate The Dominguez-Escalante NCA and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness. After the dedication, Secretary Salazar will hold a press availability. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081109a.html Washington, D.C. and Mexico, D.F.--In conjunction with the North American Leaders Summit held in Guadalajara, Mexico, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Mexican Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Juan Elvira announced today their commitment to strengthen conservation along the U.S. - Mexico border. The Secretary and the Minister will develop a plan to enhance coordination in the Big Bend and El Carmen area of the border and report to Presidents Barack Obama of the United States and Felipe Calderón of Mexico in six months. The proposed plan will take advantage of national parks and protected areas already designated in the Big Bend and El Carmen region, without prejudice to each country’s existing legislation, border security, and rights. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081109.html BILLINGS, MT –Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded $40 million to the Fort Peck/Dry Prairie Rural Water System in northeastern Montana under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081009a.html WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) has received Shell Offshore, Inc. Exploration Plan to explore two leases in the Beaufort Sea and has deemed it “complete.” http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/081009.html BLOOMINGTON, Mn – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today highlighted more than $286,000 in projects at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge funded under President Obama’s economic recovery package that will create jobs and economic growth in Minnesota. Overall, the Department of the Interior is investing more than $11 million across Minnesota in projects in wildlife refuges, national park units, and on tribal lands. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080909.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Responding to a call for greater transparency throughout government, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today said the Department will provide regular status updates to the American public on the financial health and ongoing reforms of the American Indian trusts, which consists of $3.5 billion in Indian trust funds. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080709b.html Secretary Salazar Lauds Senate’s Confirmation of Bob Abbey for Director of the Bureau of Land Management http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080709a.html Secretary Praises Senate’s Confirmation of Wilma Lewis as Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080709.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released the following statement on the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080609d.html BLOOMINGTON, MN – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will tour the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge on August 9 and hold a media availability afterwards. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080609c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – A report on long-term glacier measurements released today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar shows that glaciers are dramatically changing in mass, length and thickness as a result of climate change. Over the past 50 years, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have monitored the melting of Alaska’s Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers and Washington’s South Cascade Glacier, yielding the longest such records in North America. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080609b.html WASHINGTON, D.C.—In support of President Obama’s United We Serve summer service initiative, the Department of the Interior today sponsored and participated in volunteer service activities in the nation’s parks, refuges and other public lands. The events are a part of the United We Serve Energy and Environment issue week that runs August 3 through 9. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080609a.html SACRAMENTO, CA – U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes and the Director of California Department of Water Resources Lester Snow will hold a public meeting to discuss California’s water challenges and Delta related issues on Wednesday, August 12, 2009, in Sacramento, Calif. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080609.html NEW ORLEANS – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced a grant award for $1,397,050 to the State of Texas General Land Office for a project to seal in abandoned oil and natural gas wells in state waters in the Gulf of Mexico. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080509.html LONGMONT, CO – Calling them a vanguard for a reinvigorated U.S. high-tech manufacturing sector, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today met with employees of an innovative solar panel company that has created more than 200 ‘green jobs’ in two years and expects to double employment by next year. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080409.html LONGMONT, CO – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit the Abound Solar Manufacturing Plant and discuss ‘green job’ creation, building a clean energy economy and the need for comprehensive national energy and climate legislation. The news media are invited to join the Secretary’s meeting with employees and participate in a media availability. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/080309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised the Senate’s confirmation of Sam D. Hamilton as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/073109.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling on DOI’s request for clarification of the Court’s earlier decision to vacate the 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf oil and natural gas leasing program http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072909.html ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Me – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senator Susan Collins today highlighted $8.3 million in projects at Acadia National Park funded under President Obama’s economic recovery package that will bring jobs and economic growth to Maine http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072509.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today testified before the House Budget Committee that the Department of the Interior is making "swift progress" on making investments and creating jobs using the $3 billion entrusted to Interior under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072409a.html ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, ME - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senator Susan Collins will tour Acadia National Park and hold a press availability, where they will discuss the more than $8 million in projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama earlier this year. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072409.html On Friday, July 24, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood in testifying before the House Budget Committee on how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is helping stabilize our economy. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072309d.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Astronaut Megan McArthur will present Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar a National Park Service banner she took with her on the Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission in May to repair the Hubble telescope. Credentialed media are invited to the event as a photo op. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072309c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the National Park Service will reopen public comment on a proposed interim rule, first proposed last November under Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, to manage snowmobile and snowcoach access at Yellowstone National Park for the next two years. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072309b.html McLEAN, Va. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today underscored the importance of outdoor recreation for young people, taking a hike with members of the Youth Conservation Corps at Great Falls Park outside Washington, one of thousands of federal, state, and local parks and wildlife refuges near urban areas across the country. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072309a.html WASHINGTON, D.C.--“No matter where you are from, you can do anything if you believe in yourself,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (in hat) told 81 D.C. youth working at summer jobs in national parks and at other Department of the Interior sites today. The Secretary hosted the group at a reception today on the Interior rooftop. The young people are working under stimulus funds as part of the D.C. Summer Youth Employment Program or the Youth Conservation Corps. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072309.html MCLEAN, VA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hike Great Falls Park outside of Washington, D.C., with a group from the Youth Conservation Corps to underscore the fun and healthy benefits young people gain from getting outdoors, especially at the thousands of federal, state, and local recreation areas near urban centers. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072209.html On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a rooftop reception for youth working for the Department of the Interior and its agencies under Washington, D.C. recovery act funding. The students include 55 working under the D.C. Summer Youth Employment Program and 26 working for the Youth Conservation Corps. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/072109.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – After carefully considering the issue of uranium mining near Grand Canyon National Park, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has decided to segregate nearly 1 million acres of federal lands in the Arizona Strip for two years while the Department evaluates whether to withdraw these lands from new mining claims for an additional 20 years. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/httpwww.doi.govnews09_News_Releases072009.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senior White House and Department of the Interior officials today honored 16 groups and individuals as the top national winners of the Take Pride in America® awards for outstanding accomplishments by volunteers. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced today that the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the State of Florida and other stakeholders, are renewing their commitment and expanding existing programs to eliminate Burmese pythons from the Everglades. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071709.html ROCKPORT, Ma. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the selection of the Town of Rockport in partnership with the Thatcher Island Association to acquire the historic Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse, based on a recommendation by the National Park Service. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071609c.html Because the previous Administration failed to follow established administrative procedure before leaving office, its plan to intensify logging in western Oregon – known as the Western Oregon Plan Revisions (WOPR) – is legally indefensible and must be withdrawn, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071609b.html On Thursday, July 16, 2009 ,Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a news media teleconference to announce a major decision concerning forest management in the Northwest. The teleconference will begin at 2 p.m. EDT and will be available to reporters and editors around the nation who may participate by dialing 1-888-577-8997 and entering the access code 2605372. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071609a.html WASHINGTON, D.C.--Images derived from classified materials are now available to the public through the US Geological Survey's website to support environmental analysis of global climate-related science, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071609.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - As part of President Obama's agenda for reform, the time has come to update the nation's 19th century mining law to ensure reasonable royalty payments for extracting gold, silver and other minerals from federal land and to provide more effective regulatory, clean-up and reclamation tools, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071409.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Interior Department today announced its approval of California's plan for the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP), a major step toward providing more than $24.7 million in federal grant money to the state and 17 of its coastal counties. The approval of California's plan allows the state to submit grant applications for projects involving conservation, restoration, and protection of natural coastal resources. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071309a.html On Tuesday, July 14, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will testify before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on reform of the General Mining Law of 1872 and reclamation of abandoned hard rock mining sites. The 10 a.m. EDT hearing will be held in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. All credentialed media are invited to cover the Secretary’s testimony. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071309.html WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s announcement that he intends to nominate Jonathan Jarvis to be director of the National Park Service. Jarvis, a 30-year veteran of the Park Service, currently is the regional director of the agency’s Pacific West Region. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071009B.html ST. LOUIS, Mo– Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senator Claire McCaskill announced today that the National Park Service will invest more than $5 million to undertake two major projects to renovate historic sites at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial under President Obama’s economic recovery package. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/071009.html WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s announcement that he intends to nominate Dr. Marcia McNutt as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Science Advisor to the Secretary. She would be the first woman director of the agency since its establishment in 1879. The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070909a.html St. Louis, MO – On Friday, July 10th Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senator Claire McCaskill and Mayor Francis Slay will tour the St. Louis Gateway Arch in Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and will hold media availability to discuss Recovery money. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070909b.html St. Louis, MO – On Friday, July 10th Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senator Claire McCaskill will tour the St. Louis Gateway Arch in Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and will hold a media availability to discuss Recovery money. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070909.html WASHINGTON, D.C.--The USGS has made its long-term historical remote sensing data and graphics about biological life-cycle events available to the public at no charge on the web, Secretary of the Interior Salazar announced today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070709b.html WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s announcement that he intends to nominate Joseph Pizarchik to be director of the department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070609c.html WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Department of the Interior is accelerating the development of renewable energy on its vast public lands and offshore areas “to help power President Obama’s vision for a new energy economy,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070709.html WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s announcement that he intends to nominate Tony Babauta as Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas. The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070609b.html WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Department of the Interior is hosting its third Small Business Vendor Outreach Event in Washington, DC, on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel. The event is open to small businesses interested in doing business with the department. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070609a.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Interior Department is seeking nominations for membership on the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070609.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation’s Mid-Pacific Region has issued a cooperative agreement award under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The $5.25 million award is for the Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project on the Sacramento River in northern California. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070209b.html NEW YORK, NY – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a media availability following the ceremony officially reopening the crown of the Statue of Liberty to the public on Saturday, July 4th. The availability for credentialed media will be held at the flagpole on Liberty Island at approximately 10:30 a.m. EDT. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070209.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and the American Revolution Center (ARC) today announced that the National Park Service has reached a historic agreement to develop a national museum dedicated to the American Revolution. The National Park Service signed a land-exchange agreement with ARC to establish this museum at Independence National Historical Park. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070109a.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has identified 27 water reclamation and reuse projects that will share in a total of $134.3 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/070109.html WASHINGTON, DC - A final agreement on water management and dam removal in the Klamath River Basin in Oregon and California is "within reach" and should be completed by the end of summer, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/063009b.html NEW ORLEANS, LA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the Department has awarded an $8 million grant to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for a conservation education initiative that will restore part of the historic Gulf State Park Pier. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/063009a.html SEVILLE, Spain - The 21-nation World Heritage Committee has taken an important step to protect Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in Montana and Alberta, Canada, calling for a full report from a joint mission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the World Heritage Centre on the potential threats from proposed coal mining and oil and gas development in the region. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/063009.html LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Under initiatives announced today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), federal agencies will work with western leaders to designate tracts of U.S. public lands in the West as prime zones for utility-scale solar energy development, fund environmental studies, open new solar energy permitting offices and speed reviews of industry proposals. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062909.html FRESNO, CA - At a town hall meeting in Fresno, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor and members of the California Congressional Delegation today announced multiple steps the Obama Administration is taking to alleviate the heavy toll on Californians resulting from the ongoing water shortage. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062809.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation will distribute $32 million to two North Dakota water projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062609e.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded $4.5 million to the Perkins County Rural Water System under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062609d.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded $56.5 million to the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062609c.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has identified three Rural Water projects in North Dakota and South Dakota that will share $93 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062609b.html On Monday, June 29, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) will announce a series of initiatives to expedite the development of solar energy on U.S. public lands in the West. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062609a.html FRESNO, CA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor and members of the California Congressional Delegation will hold a town hall meeting on water supply issues and challenges facing California on Sunday, June 28, in Fresno, Calif. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062609.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today appointed Liz Birnbaum, an attorney with two decades of Federal Government and private sector experience in energy and environmental policy, as Director of the Department's Minerals Management Service. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062509.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will administer the oath of office to Larry Echo Hawk as Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs at a 10:00 a.m. ceremonial event on Friday, June 26, 2009, in the Sidney R. Yates Auditorium of the Main Interior Building. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062409d.html FRESNO, CA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor and members of the California Congressional Delegation will hold a town hall meeting on the drought in California on Sunday, June 28, in Fresno, Calif. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062409c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today described the progress the Department of the Interior has made in the last six months to responsibly develop oil and gas resources on public lands as part of President Obama's comprehensive energy strategy for the United States. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062409a.html WASHINGTON, D.C.-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced he is taking steps to have Everglades National Park added again to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger by the United Nation's World Heritage Committee. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062409b.html The U.S. Department of the Interior will kick off its “United We Serve” Initiative and Outdoor Youth Mentoring Program with a Youth Service Day in Golden Gate National Parks on Thursday, June 25. As part of President Obama’s “United We Serve,” a national call for all Americans to do volunteer service in their communities from June 22-September 11, the public is invited to eight sites in San Francisco and Marin County this Thursday. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062409.html ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Calling it a major step forward in President Obama’s new energy frontier, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, joined by New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine, today issued five exploratory leases for renewable wind energy production on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore New Jersey and Delaware. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062309.html SOMERSET, PA – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will meet with Pennsylvania landowners Tuesday to discuss the status of negotiations over the land needed for the Flight 93 Memorial. While the meeting is closed to the press, Salazar will hold a press availability afterwards. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062209c.html On Tuesday, June 23, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine in Atlantic City to announce a major development concerning renewable energy on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The announcement will be made on the Boardwalk, Oceanside of Pier Shops at Caesars at 11:00 a.m. EDT. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062209b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will convene the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force at a meeting in the Department’s Sydney Yates Auditorium. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062209a.html SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VA—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined volunteer and youth groups at Shenandoah National Park as part of a national kickoff for President Obama’s new “United We Serve” campaign. The Secretary helped the groups remove nonnative plants that have invaded the natural ecosystem adjacent to Big Meadows Swamp. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/062209.htm WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Anne Castle as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061909b.htm SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VA - For the official kickoff of President Obama's United We Serve initiative on June 22, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will participate in a service event at Shenandoah National Park. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061909.html WASHINGTON, D.C.-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today named Sylvia V. Baca, a senior public and private sector manager in energy and environmental policy and programs, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061809a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Hilary Tompkins as Solicitor of the Department of the Interior, the agency’s top general counsel. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061809.html WASHINGTON, DC - Dan Wenk, Acting Director of National Park Service released the following statement today updating the progress over the Flight 93 Memorial lands: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061109e.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued the following statement in response to today's announcement of a partnership between Exxon Mobil and TransCanada to build a pipeline that will facilitate the transport of North Slope natural gas to the continental U.S. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061109d.html WASHINGTON, DC - Obama Administration officials announced today that they are taking unprecedented steps to reduce the environmental impacts of mountaintop coal mining in the six Appalachian states of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia through a coordinated approach between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior (DOI) and Army Corps of Engineers. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061109c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that approximately 1,850 local governments with federal land in their jurisdictions will receive $381.6 million this year under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program to help offset forgone tax revenue. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061109.html WASHINGTON, DC - A report released today by the U.S. Department of the Interior reveals flaws in the process through which a controversial set of oil and gas leases were offered in Utah in the waning days of the previous Administration, including several near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and Dinosaur National Monument. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061109a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland today announced the appointment of renowned wildlife law expert Michael Bean as counselor. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061109b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued the following statement in response to the shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061009b.html SALT LAKE CITY - An unprecedented two-year undercover operation led by agents from Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the FBI today began rounding up what prosecutors call a ring archeological grave robbers who looted pristine sites in the Southwest, desecrated ancient American Indian burials and stole priceless artifacts, selling them to dealers and collectors who were associated with the network. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/061009a.html WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s announcement that he intends to nominate Sam D. Hamilton to be the next Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hamilton, a career senior biologist and manager with the Service, currently is director of the agency’s Southeast Region, The nomination requires Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060909a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama’s announcement that he intends to nominate Bob Abbey, a veteran public land policy leader and chief architect of the Great Basin Restoration Initiative, as Director of the Bureau of Land Management. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060909b.html NEW YORK, NY - On May 8, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that beginning this July 4, the American public will once again be able to visit the crown of the Statue of Liberty, which was closed after the 9/11 attacks for safety and security reasons. Beginning at 10 a.m. (EST) on June 13, 2009, crown reservations may be made through the park's ferry concessioner, Statue Cruises, at www.statuecruises.com or by phone at 877- LADY-TIX (877-523-9849). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060809b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today informed President Obama and the Cabinet that the National Park Service will begin economic recovery projects at 107 national parks in next 100 days, creating new jobs and stimulating local economies while making parks better places for Americans to visit. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Joined by Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett and several hundred schoolchildren on the National Mall, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today signed a Secretarial Order establishing an Office of Youth in Natural Resources at the Department of the Interior. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060809a.html WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today reiterated his commitment to complete the Flight 93 Memorial in time for the 10th anniversary and directed Dan Wenk, Acting Director of the National Park Service, to negotiate for one more week to reach an agreement with the landowners over the property needed to build the memorial. The Park Service and the landowners have been working to find agreement for several years. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060509a.html Monday, June 8, 2009 - Joined by White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and new Deputy Assistant Secretary Robert Stanton, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will announce a new initiative to engage youth in the outdoors on Monday, June 8 on the National Mall. Also joining the event will be 350 D.C. elementary school students who will have fished in the pond at Constitution Gardens earlier in the morning as part of a program sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060509.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk has begun his administration by moving quickly to begin discussions with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, tribal leaders and tribal organizations on economic, energy, education, public safety and other issues that need to be addressed in Indian Country. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060409c.html SOMERSET, PA – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Sen. Arlen Specter will hold a meeting with families of Flight 93 victims, landowners and other stakeholders to discuss issues related to the Flight 93 memorial. While the meeting is closed to the press, Salazar and Specter will hold a joint press conference afterwards. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060409b.html WASHINGTON,D.C - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today named John Tubbs, a veteran water resources administrator and policy leader, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science.The appointment does not require Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060309a.html On Wednesday, June 3, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will testify on the administration's proposed Fiscal Year 2010 budget for the Department of the Interior at a 9:45 a.m. EDT hearing of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. The hearing will be held in Room 138 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060209b.html BRECKSVILLE, OH Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today highlighted the $23 million that the Department of the Interior will invest in Ohio under President Obama' economic recovery plan during a visit to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and a speech to the City Club of Cleveland. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060209a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Department of the Interior will host 12 public workshops this month to discuss the newly-issued regulatory program for renewable energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060109.html At the first of twelve regional public workshops on the Obama Administration’s new offshore renewable energy program for the Outer Continental Shelf, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the Department’s Minerals Management Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have signed an agreement to strengthen the Department’s efforts to protect and conserve migratory bird species during offshore renewable energy development. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060409a.html On Thursday, June 4, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will kickoff the first of 12 public workshops this month to discuss the Department’s newly-issued program for renewable energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The Secretary’s remarks will open the 2 p.m. event, which will detail how the new regulatory framework will grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way for wind, solar, wave and ocean current energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf as well as how revenues from these projects will be shared with adjacent coastal States. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060409.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today sent Congress his recommendations for a national program to help reduce greenhouse gasses by selecting appropriate underground geological formations on public lands to inject and store carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants and other carbon-dioxide producing facilities. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060309.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the National Park Service will offer three fee-free weekends this summer to encourage Americans seeking affordable vacations to visit these national treasures. There are 391 national parks located across the country in 49 states. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/060209.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will take part in the Rededication Ceremony of the Lincoln Memorial at 2:25 p.m. and is expected to speak at approximately 3:30 p.m. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052909.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently designated 22 trails in 13 states as newly recognized National Recreation Trails, adding more than 525 miles of trails to the National Trails System. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Flanked by U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Florida’s Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today underscored President Obama’s commitment to restoring the Florida Everglades, calling the unprecedented initiative a national priority requiring continuing commitment and bi-partisan support. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052809.html On Thursday, May 28, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Governor Charlie Crist and Senator Bill Nelson will visit the Florida Everglades where they will receive a briefing on invasive species control and the Burmese python, make an airboat tour of Alligator Bay and hold a media availability at Mile Marker 41. Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland will accompany the Secretary. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052709.html Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will meet with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, tour areas of the state previously affected by drought conditions and hold a media availability with the Governor. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052609b.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released the following statement on President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052609a.html ON TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2009, Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes, Bureau of Land Management Acting Director Mike Pool, and National Park Service Acting Director Dan Wenk will hold a listening session in Vernal, Utah, to gather community input for a review of 77 parcels that the Department of the Interior withdrew from the December 19, 2008 oil and gas lease sale on lands covered by the Bureau of Land Management's Vernal, Moab and Price Resource Management Plans. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052609.html WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Department of the Interior spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff issued the following statement regarding the enactment of a new firearms law for national parks and wildlife refuges that will take effect in nine months http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052209c.html WASHINGTON, DC – David J. Hayes, one of the nation's foremost natural resource experts, was officially sworn in today as Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior, the second-highest-ranking official at the department. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar administered the swearing-in ceremony. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052209b.html WASHINGTON, DC – Larry Echohawk, 60, was sworn into office today as the Interior Department's 11th Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052209a.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Michael L. Connor as Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052209.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Department would invest $15 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to fund 55 projects that will reduce hazardous fuels on thousands of acres of federal land to protect communities at risk from wildland fires, support local economies and rehabilitate ecosystems damaged by wildfire. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052109a.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary Salazar released the following statement in response to Senators Bob Bennett and Lisa Murkowski’s decisions to lift their hold on David Hayes: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052109.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the Senate's approval of Larry EchoHawk, a law professor and former Idaho Attorney General and state legislator, as Interior's Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. The President had nominated EchoHawk on April 20, 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/052009.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Rhea S. Suh as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, the top official overseeing financial, administrative and programmatic policy for the Department. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051909.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar led a wreath-laying ceremony today at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of the Interior to honor 134 Department of the Interior law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty since the department’s founding in 1849. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051409d.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today appointed former National Park Service Director Robert G. Stanton as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Management, and Budget. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051409b.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued the following statement regarding the death yesterday of Brian O’Neill, longtime superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the San Francisco Bay area of California. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051409c.html WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary Salazar released the following statement in response to Republicans voting down David Hayes to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Secretary Salazar continued to work with Republicans on the hill in anticipation of the vote. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051309b.html WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, as part of his continued effort to work with Republicans on the hill, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar sent the following two letters to Republicans on the hill. A cloture vote on the nomination of David Hayes to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior is scheduled for later on this morning in the Senate. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051309.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Wyoming. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $68.2 million in Wyoming as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_51.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Wisconsin. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $28.6 million in Wisconsin as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_50.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for West Virginia. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $10.9 million in West Virginia as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_49.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Washington. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $206.9 million in Washington as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_48.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Virginia. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $43.1 million in Virginia as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_47.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Vermont. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $1.7 million in Vermont as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_46.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Utah. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $118.7 million in Utah as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_45.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Texas. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $20.3 million in Texas as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_44.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Tennessee. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $23.4 million in Tennessee as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_43.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for South Dakota. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $200.5 million in South Dakota as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_42.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for South Carolina. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $3.2 million in South Carolina as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_41.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Rhode Island. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $119,000 in Rhode Island as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_40.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Pennsylvania. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $16.2 million in Pennsylvania as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_39.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Oregon. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $48.6 million in Oregon as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_38.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Oklahoma. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $6.4 million in Oklahoma as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_37.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Ohio. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $23 million in Ohio as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_36.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for North Dakota. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $87.8 million in North Dakota as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_35.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for North Carolina. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $48.7 million in North Carolina as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_34.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for New York. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $63.4 million in New York as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_33.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for New Mexico. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest more than $101 million in New Mexico as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_32.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for New Jersey. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $28.6 million in New Jersey as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_31.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for New Hampshire. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $779,000 in New Hampshire as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_30.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Nevada. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $69.8 million in Nevada as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_29.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Nebraska. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest more than $2.7 million in Nebraska as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_28.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Montana. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest more than $121 million in Montana as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_27.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Missouri. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $21.2 million in Missouri as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_26.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior's projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Mississippi. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $13 million in Mississippi as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_25.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Minnesota. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $11.1 million in Minnesota as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_24.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior's projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Michigan. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $9.2 million in Michigan as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_23.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Massachusetts. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $18.2 million in Massachusetts as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_22.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Maryland. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $24 million in Maryland as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_21.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Maine. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $14 million in Maine as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_20.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Louisiana. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $4.3 million in Louisiana as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_19.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Kentucky. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest more than $16.5 million in Kentucky as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_18.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Kansas. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $8.7 million in Kansas as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_17.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Iowa. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $3.7 million in Iowa as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_16.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Indiana. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $4.7 million in Indiana as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_15.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Illinois. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $2.6 million in Illinois as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_14.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Idaho. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $19.5 million in Idaho as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_13.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Hawaii. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $28 million in Hawaii as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_12.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Georgia. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $6.3 million in Georgia as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_11.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Florida. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $28.7 million in Florida as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_10.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the District of Columbia. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $84.7 million in the District of Columbia as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_09.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Delaware. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $289,000 in Delaware as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_08.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Connecticut. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $1.7 million in Connecticut as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_07.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Colorado. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $86.2 million in Colorado as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_06.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for California. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $401.2 million in California as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_05.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Arkansas. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $10.7 million in Arkansas as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_04.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Arizona. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $319.1 million in Arizona as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_03.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Alaska. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $84.6 million in Alaska as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_02.html Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for Alabama. Across its Bureaus, the Department will invest $9.7 million in Alabama as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209_01.html ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on 21st Century Energy, testify on Interior’s proposed fiscal year 2010 budget and join other Cabinet members to read the names of fallen law officers at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial during the National Police Week Candlelight Vigil. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209d.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today asked the Department of Justice to seek clarification from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on the scope of its April 17, 2009 decision that Bush Administration officials did not conduct sufficient scientific and environmental analysis before scheduling oil and gas lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf off Alaska. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to two National Park Service employees and two employees of The Nature Conservancy for their conservation efforts in the Washington D.C. area and along the Potomac Gorge. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to a coalition of individuals and agencies who worked collaboratively with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Chickasaw Nation to protect valuable aquifer resources and to improve water resource conditions in Oklahoma. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Three Mountain Alliance Watershed Partnership for their work in Hawaii. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/051209c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to five employees in the National Park Service’s offices in Omaha, Nebraska, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia for their work in creating the “Making Friends” Guidebook. The handbook gives tips for creating, growing and managing one of the Friends Groups set up to help local national parks. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809k.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the “Bayhorse Mining District Cooperative Conservation with Partners” Project for their work at the Bayhorse Mining District in Idaho. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809j.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Giacomini Wetlands Restoration partners for their work in the Tomales Bay and along the central California coast. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809i.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Missouri River Bank Stabilization Project, recognizing individuals from the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, federal and South Dakota state agencies as well as private engineering and contracting firms. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809h.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Apache Trout Habitat Restoration project for their work on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809g.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Weaverville Community Forest Stewardship Project for their work in the town of Weaverville and on more than 1,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management public lands in northern California. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809f.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Milford Flat Fire Restoration Project for their work to improve watersheds following the largest fire in Utah history two years ago. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809e.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Coast Salish-USGS Tribal Journey Water Quality Project for their work in the Salish Sea, Puget Sound and Georgia Basin. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809d.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to Glenn R. Harkleroad, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Coos Bay District Restoration Coordinator in Oregon. Harkleroad has been responsible for many partnerships such as a recent community-based partnership between the Coos Bay District and the Coquille Indian Tribe for the conservation and harvest of bear grass. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that he will retain a special rule issued in December for protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act, but will closely monitor the implementation of the rule to determine if additional measures are necessary to conserve and recover the polar bear and its habitat. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809b.html NEW YORK, NY - The American public will once again be able to visit the crown of the Statue of Liberty, which was closed after the 9/11 attacks for safety and security reasons, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050809.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to Operation Migration for their efforts to reintroduce the whooping crane to its native flyway in the eastern United States. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709r.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to Sheldon Sankey of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Eastern Oklahoma region, for developing fire prevention and education programs that promote partnerships at the local, state and Federal levels.” http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709q.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the West Virginia Watershed Network for exemplary service in promoting watershed conservation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709p.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center in Colorado who created a "war room" where partner agencies and universities can use advanced technology to better document, map and predict the spread of harmful invasive plants, animals and diseases. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709o.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Outdoor Recreation Business Plan Guidebook Team for creating a publication for recreation professionals that assists in effective fiscal planning and management, by sharing the knowledge and practices of current park managers. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709n.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the West Eugene Wetlands (WEW) Partnership and the Willamette Resources and Educational Network (WREN) for their work in wetlands preservation and sustainable development in Eugene, Oregon. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709m.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Rappahannock Land Protection Partnership in Virginia. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709l.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the John W. Keys III Partnership Program for cultivating a more efficient working relationship among the Bureau of Reclamation in the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Water Resource Congress and several Oregon and Idaho irrigation districts. The Keys program fosters a good working relationship communications on an interagency basis with the shared goal of delivering water more efficiently. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709k.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Flower Garden Banks Long-Term Monitoring program for their long-standing commitment to the protection of the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico, the northernmost coral reef communities in the western hemisphere. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709j.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to a huge collaborative partnership involving the Colorado River Basin states, Mexico, numerous Federal, state and local agencies, tribes, nongovernmental groups and private citizens for adoption of new, interim operational guidelines for managing the Colorado River in 2007. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709i.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Battle of the Atlantic Expedition for collective efforts in the preservation of historic World War II shipwreck sites in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” off the North Carolina coast. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709h.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Casting Light upon the Waters committee for their work in protecting fishery resources and reducing user conflicts in Wisconsin. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709g.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Rat Island Restoration Project for their work to eradicate rats and restore biological diversity to a 6,681-acre island in the Aleutian Chain, part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709f.html WASHINGTON, DC – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced the appointment of Pat Pourchot to be his Special Assistant for Alaska Affairs. Pourchot will be based in Anchorage. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709e.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership for its work in promoting the sustainability of wild salmon populations. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709d.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented the Partners in Conservation Awards “honoring those who achieve natural resource goals in collaboration and partnership with others” to 26 groups and individuals at a ceremony at Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Obama's proposed $12 billion budget for the Department of the Interior in FY2010 will allow the nation's largest land manager to play a central role in carrying out the President's vision for addressing the challenges of our times, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709b.html ON FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2009 – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit Ellis Island in New York Harbor, where he will be joined by Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Members of the New York and New Jersey congressional delegation and others to discuss stimulus funding for Ellis Island improvements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050709.html NEW ORLEANS, LA – The Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) has awarded a $6 million grant to Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) for the East Grand Terre Island Restoration Project. These funds will be combined with an earlier grant of $21 million awarded through the CIAP to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources for barrier island restoration at East Grand Terre. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050609.html CHICAGO – To expedite production of renewable energy on public lands while protecting land, water, and wildlife, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today pledged to create four Renewable Energy Coordination Offices, one each in California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Arizona, along with smaller renewable energy teams in New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Oregon. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050509b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development - Indian Affairs George T. Skibine today announced funding totals for the 12 Indian Affairs regions for projects targeting federally recognized tribes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Overall, the Interior Department will invest $500 million of the $3 billion it has received through President Obama’s economic recovery plan in tribal communities across the nation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050509.html Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 5, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will deliver a keynote address to the largest annual wind energy industry event in the United States – the WINDPOWER 2009 Conference – on the priority of renewable energy in the Obama Administration, including projects on U.S. public land and the recently announced regulations to allow offshore wind projects to move forward on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050409a.html Newark, Delaware — Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) today visited the University of Delaware, where they underscored the importance of alternative energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), especially offshore wind resources for Delaware and other Atlantic coastal states. On Earth Day, President Obama announced that Interior had finalized a long-awaited framework for renewable energy production on the OCS. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050409.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced $305 million will fund more than 650 Bureau of Land Management projects across the country under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The investments will restore landscapes and habitat, spur renewable energy development on public lands, and create jobs. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050209.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama's announcement that he intends to nominate Wilma Lewis, a former United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and Inspector General at Interior, as Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management.http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050409b.html SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today highlighted the significant steps the Obama administration is taking to create jobs and stimulate economic growth in Utah while conserving national parks, refuges, and other public lands, including more than $107 million invested in the state by the Interior Department under the President’s economic recovery plan.http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050109a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new landmark study published today documents for the first time the process in which increased mercury emissions from human sources across the globe, and in particular from Asia, make their way into the North Pacific Ocean and as a result contaminate tuna and other seafood. Because much of the mercury that enters the North Pacific comes from the atmosphere, scientists have predicted an additional 50 percent increase in mercury in the Pacific by 2050 if mercury emission rates continue as projected.http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/050109.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Thomas Strickland for Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. President Obama nominated Strickland for the position on Feb. 20, 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/043009b.html On Friday, May 1, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a community meeting regarding investments in Utah and immediately after he will participate in a press availability to highlight the Obama administration’s initiatives to create jobs and stimulate the economy in Utah as well as protect, conserve, and enhance parks, refuges, and other public lands in the state. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/043009a.html On Saturday, May 2, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will announce the Bureau of Land Management job-stimulus projects to be funded by investments under the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Secretary will make the announcement in Nevada at the request of Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/043009.html WASHINGTON, DC - Department of the Interior spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff released the following statement today regarding Secretary Salazar’s visit to Nevada this weekend: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042809d.html Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the two departments are revoking an eleventh-hour Bush administration rule that undermined Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. Their decision requires federal agencies to once again consult with federal wildlife experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – the two agencies that administer the ESA – before taking any action that may affect threatened or endangered species. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042809c.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that he will establish an Office of Youth to provide Department-wide leadership for programs to educate, engage and employ youth. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042809b.html On Wednesday, April, 29, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit Philadelphia to meet with Department of the Interior (DOI) employees to discuss his first 100 days in office, his major reform efforts at the Department of the Interior and America’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Media is invited to participate in all of the events. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042809.html On Tuesday, April 28, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will speak to Department employees around the nation, discussing the Department's progress on President Obama's agenda and plans for future initiatives within the Department of the Interior. His remarks will be delivered at a 1:30 p.m. EDT town hall assembly in the Yates Auditorium of Interior Headquarters and broadcast live by satellite to offices across the country. A listen-only teleconference line also is available. News media are invited to attend the event. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042709a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced his determination that the mountaintop coal mining "stream buffer zone rule" issued by the Bush Administration is legally defective. Salazar directed the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to file a pleading with the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. requesting that the rule be vacated due to this deficiency and remanded to the Department of the Interior for further action. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042709.html In an announcement that will both create jobs and promote the conservation of our nation’s fish and wildlife, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will invest $280 million in more than 770 projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to build visitors centers, improve infrastructure, and bolster conservation at national wildlife refuges and hatcheries across the country. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042609.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the Department will fund $500 million in new school and housing construction, road and bridge improvements, and workforce development projects for federally recognized tribes across the nation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042509.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join U.S. Senator Jon Tester and Governor Brian Schweitzer for a press conference on Sunday, April 26 to make a major announcement regarding economic recovery investments in the State of Montana. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042409a.html On Saturday, April 25, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will visit North Dakota, where he will be joined by Senators Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Gov. John Hoeven, and meet with local leaders and tribal officials. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042409.html Today, in an Earth Day speech at a wind turbine tower manufacturing plant, President Barack Obama announced that the Department of the Interior has finalized a long-awaited framework for renewable energy production on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042109b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the federal government has cleared the transfer of water among various sources through California's Drought Water Bank, a vital tool to relieve drought conditions in the state. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042109a.html Washington, D.C. – From the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall to Yellowstone and Death Valley, the National Park Service will undertake more than 750 projects at parks across the country to create jobs, restore and protect our nation’s parks, and preserve our history and heritage for future generations, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042109.html WASHINGTON, DC - In celebration of Earth Day, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a press conference to announce hundreds of national park system projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The nearly $750 million in investments will create jobs while enhancing visitor experience and conserving the nation’s heritage and history for future generations. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042109.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Six U.S. coastal states will share nearly half a billion dollars from offshore oil and gas revenues in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 to help restore and protect coastal wetlands, wildlife habitat and marine areas, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today. The funds are available for approved uses by Alabama, Alaska, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and their coastal local governments. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042009b.html Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, joined by Representative Raul Grijalva, will provide welcoming remarks this evening at a reception for an exhibition opening at the Interior Museum. The reception is open to credentialed media. The Udall Foundation exhibition, Parks in Focus: Connecting Underserved Youth to Nature through Photography, will be open to the public from 8:30 to 4:30 on weekdays through December. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042009a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of the Interior issued the following statement concerning the ruling today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, regarding the Department’s current 5-year oil and gas leasing program for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The spokesperson is Press Secretary Kendra Barkoff. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/042009.html Albuquerque, NM - SSecretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall and Congressman Martin Heinrich at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History to highlight the many benefits to New Mexico from the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, recently signed into law by President Obama. Bingaman, as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, helped shepherd the bill through Congress. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041709b.html Albuquerque, NM - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today met with Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley to discuss water, education, road and job training initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for residents of the Navajo Nation, other American Indian communities and residents of New Mexico. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041709.html Albuquerque, NM - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation will invest $12.5 million in New Mexico water infrastructure projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The New Mexico funding will go to the Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline and to support infrastructure reliability projects at Elephant Butte Dam and levee repair work along the Rio Grande. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041609.html SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the U.S. Geological Survey will fund $29.4 million in earthquake network upgrades nationwide through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, an investment that will significantly improve the timely delivery of information to high-hazard regions such as the Bay area. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041509c.html Albuquerque, N.M. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join New Mexico Senators Jeff Bingaman and Senator Tom Udall for a tour of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History on Friday, April 17 at 1:15 p.m. MDT followed by remarks highlighting the recently enacted Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041509b.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior will invest $50 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in the Central Utah Project, which delivers water from the Colorado River to users in Central Utah while mitigating adverse environmental impacts and conserving fish, wildlife, and recreation resources. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041509a.html SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, at a press conference with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California congressional leaders, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the Department of the Interior will invest $1 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) in America's water infrastructure to create jobs and get the economy moving again. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041509.html Following a tour of the drought-stricken Sacramento Delta with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on April 15, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will announce economic stimulus projects to help water infrastructure in California and elsewhere as part of the Department of the Interior's investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The projects include ARRA funds going to the Bureau of Reclamation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041409a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a lecture on May 8 at the Interior Museum, U.S. Geological Survey Imperiled Species Coordinator Rachel Muir will give a timely presentation on the nature of biodiversity and the extinction crisis. Muir is hosted by the Interior Museum in conjunction with the Endangered Species: Flora and Fauna in Peril exhibition on view until May 16th. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041409.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Members of Congress from California will hold a press conference on April 15 behind the Ferry Building in San Francisco to highlight the importance to the state of U.S. Geological Survey earthquake monitoring funds contained in the economic stimulus package. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041309a.html On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a meeting at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska to gather information and public comment to help build a comprehensive energy strategy for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama's announcement that he intends to nominate Larry EchoHawk, a former Idaho Attorney General and state legislator, as Interior's Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. The nomination requires Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041009c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today named Deanna A. Archuleta, a water utility official and former county commissioner from Albuquerque, New Mexico, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041009b.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior's first projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - $140 million that will fund 308 U.S. Geological Survey projects across the 50 states. The USGS, the leading science research bureau in the federal government, supports the science needs of all the other bureaus of the Department of the Interior and other departments of the U.S. government. The USGS will play a critical role in addressing the nation's energy and climate change challenges. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041009a.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a telephone press conference for credentialed media today, Friday, April 10, to release the first Department of the Interior projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Overall, the Department and its agencies will invest more than $3 billion through President Obama’s economic recovery plan. The Secretary will also preview his trip to Alaska next week. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/041009.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff today signed an agreement that clarifies their agencies' jurisdictional responsibilities for leasing and licensing renewable energy projects on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040909.html ESTES PARK, Colorado - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined members of the Colorado congressional delegation and local officials today to dedicate the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area, nearly 250,000 acres within the park that will be permanently protected from human impacts under the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040909a.html ESTES PARK, CO – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join members of the Colorado congressional delegation to dedicate Rocky Mountain National Park’s new wilderness area and to celebrate public lands in Colorado at a ceremony on Thursday, April 9, 2009 at the YMCA of the Rockies. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040709b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today named Ned Farquhar, a renewable energy and natural resource policy expert and former senior advisor on energy and the environment to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040709a.html On Wednesday, April 8, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host a meeting at Tulane University’s McAlister Auditorium to gather information and public comment to help build a comprehensive energy strategy for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The meeting is the second of four regional meetings the Secretary will hold this month. The morning session will be carried live by webcast, accessible online at http://www.doi.gov/ocs. More information on the meeting also is available at that site. The meeting, which includes lunch and dinner breaks, is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040709.html Antarctica’s glaciers are melting more rapidly than previously known because of climate change, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report prepared in close collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040309a.html Monday, April, 6, 2009. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join New Jersey Governor John Corzine and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez on a tour of the New Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm in Atlantic City where the Secretary will be briefed on the wind turbine system at the facility. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host regional public meetings in Atlantic City and New Orleans next week to gather information and public comment to help build a comprehensive energy strategy for the Outer Continental Shelf. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040209a.html U.S. offshore areas hold enormous potential for wind energy development near the nation's highest areas of electricity demand - coastal metropolitan centers, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040209.html THURDSAY, APRIL 2, 2009. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will address the 25X’25 America’s Energy Future Summit in Arlington, Virginia, to discuss the potential for renewable energy development on America’s public lands and oceans and will release the Executive Summary of a report he commissioned from the U.S. Geological Survey and Minerals Management Service on U.S. energy resources and challenges on the Outer Continental Shelf. A media availability will follow his remarks. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040109a.html WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded President Obama's announcement that he intends to nominate Anne Castle to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. Castle has more than 25 years of experience in water rights,water quality and natural resources law.She currently serves as a partner in the Denver,Colo.office of Holland and Hart LLP. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/040109.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar praised President Barack Obama’s signing of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 into law at the White House. The measure put into law the 26-million acre National Landscape Conservation System within the Bureau of Land Management and adds 2 million acres of new wilderness across the country. It will also preserve 1,000 new miles of wild and scenic rivers. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/033009.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Interior and its agencies around the country, in cooperation with state and local partners, are acting to help citizens threatened by the record-setting Midwest floods in ways ranging from providing the streamgage and satellite data used in weather predictions to conducting search-and- rescue operations in boats usually used in national parks and wildlife refuges. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032709b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to thank U.S. wildland firefighters for their assistance during recent devastating fires in the State of Victoria, Australia. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032709a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the announcement by President Obama that he intends to nominate Rhea S. Suh as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget at the Department of the Interior. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032709.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today lauded the announcement by President Obama that he intends to nominate Hilary Tompkins as the Interior Department’s solicitor. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032609a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the National Park Service expects more than 1 million visitors for the 97th National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 26-April 12, the most people for any event in the National Park System this year. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032609.html Washington, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a press conference Thursday, March 26 to highlight the 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual 16-day celebration that is expected to draw more than 1 million visitors to the nation's capital. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032509.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) and a bipartisan group of House Members at a press conference following House vote of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (H.R. 146), which is expected on Wednesday. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032409.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than $25 million will be paid to Gulf of Mexico coastal states and communities this week as their share of bonuses and rents on energy leases in federal waters off their coasts, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032309a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Geological Survey scientists will brief reporters by phone at 1:30 p.m. today Eastern Time on the latest conditions at Mount Redoubt Volcano, 106 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, which erupted explosively March 22, 2009, at approximately 10:38 PM AKDT. The call will include an update on the height of ash from the volcano and how that affects visibility for airplanes. Scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) will join the Secretary on the call. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/032309.html Washington, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031909a.html WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today addressed the American Petroleum Institute's board of directors. View full text of his remarks. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031909.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today commended President Obama's announcement that he intends to nominate Michael L. Connor as Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Connor has more than 15 years of experience in the public sector, including having served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate and Natural Resources Committee since May 2001. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031809c.html Tomorrow Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join representatives from bird research and conservation organizations on Thursday, March 19, at 2:30 p.m. EDT to release the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States. The press conference will be held at the National Press Club. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031809b.html New Orleans, LA - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Central Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 208, held today in New Orleans, attracted $703,048,523 in high bids.The sale was conducted by Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) and had 70 companies submitting 476 bids on 348 tracts comprising over 1.9 million acres offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The sum of all bids received totaled $ 933,649,315. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031809a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, March 18, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will officially open an offshore oil and gas lease sale in New Orleans, Louisiana, visit an offshore oil production rig, make an aerial tour of state coastal restoration efforts and hold a community forum in New Orleans City Park. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031809.html NEW ORLEANS - The offshore energy industry is showing continued interest in the Gulf of Mexico's Outer Continental Shelf, with 56 companies submitting 476 bids on 348 tracts that are being offered offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in tomorrow's Minerals Management Service Lease Sale 208. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031709a.html WASHINGTON, DC - In a joint statement issued today Secretary of the Interior (DOI), Ken Salazar and Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Jon Wellinghoff announced that the two agencies have confirmed their intent to work together to facilitate the permitting of renewable energy in offshore waters. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031709.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new method to assess the nation's potential for storing carbon dioxide could lead to techniques for lessening the impacts of climate change, according to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, who praised a U.S. Geological Survey report in an energy teleconference today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031909b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs today announced that acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Nikolao Pula will be hosting a media conference call on Wednesday, March 18 at 4:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, to discuss Interior's upcoming Conference on Business Opportunities in the Islands. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031609c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will officially open an offshore oil and gas lease sale in New Orleans, Louisiana, visit an offshore oil production rig, make an aerial tour of state coastal restoration efforts and hold a community forum in New Orleans City Park. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031609b.html On Tuesday, March 17, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on the Department of the Interior's energy policies, priorities and initiatives for U.S. public land and the Outer Continental Shelf. The full committee oversight hearing on energy development on public lands and the Outer Continental Shelf is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. in Room SD-366, Dirksen Senate Office Building. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031609a.html DENVER, CO - The Department of the Interior will hold more than 40 major lease sales for oil and natural gas development on public lands this year, which are predicted to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for American taxpayers as well as billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas to help meet the nation's energy needs, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said today. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031609.html On Monday, March 16, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a media teleconference to preview his testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and his visit to New Orleans to join a Minerals Management Service lease sale for oil and natural gas parcels on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today met with the new President of Palau Johnson Toribiong at the Department the Interior. This is President Toribiong's first official visit to Washington, D.C. since he was inaugurated on January 15th. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031209.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Citing the critical need to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, build a clean energy economy and create new jobs, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today issued a Secretarial Order making the production, development, and delivery of renewable energy top priorities for the Department. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031109c.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved more than $26 million in grants to protect and restore more than 200,000 acres of wetland areas and wildlife habitat in the United States and Mexico. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031109b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host four regional public meetings in April to present Interior's findings on Outer Continental Shelf (OSC) energy resources and potential environmental impacts from their development. At the meetings, the Secretary will also hear comment from public officials, interested organizations, advocacy groups and private citizens on OCS's development. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031109a.html On Wednesday, March 11, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will make an announcement regarding renewable energy policy for the Department of the Interior. Secretary Salazar will be making the announcement via teleconference, which media representatives can join by calling 1-800-369-1156 and entering the access code ENERGY. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031109.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has named Will Shafroth, a land conservationist executive and founding director of the Colorado Conservation Trust and Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031009.html WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), has launched a website to create a web-based clearinghouse of environmental information that will support American Indian and Alaska Native traditional and renewable energy resource development. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030909.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today affirmed the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species in the western Great Lakes and the northern Rocky Mountain states of Idaho and Montana and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah. Wolves will remain a protected species in Wyoming. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030609b.html WASHINGTON, D.C. -Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar lauded the upcoming PBS series on the national parks, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, at a premiere showing at the Capitol Visitor's Center Thursday evening, March 5. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030609.html Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a 'Pen and Pad' media roundtable tomorrow - Friday, March 6, 2009 - to discuss an important wildlife management issue and other topics of interest to news organizations. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030609a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today named investment expert and government management specialist Chris Henderson to serve as Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Economic Recovery. As the "Recovery Czar" for the Department of the Interior, Henderson will oversee the more than $3 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that Interior will be investing in projects in communities, parks, and public lands across the country. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030509a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Speaking to a summit of American Indian leaders, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today highlighted more than $2 billion in President Obama's economic recovery package to create jobs and economic opportunity in Indian Country. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030509.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tomorrow morning at 8:50 a.m., Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will speak to the Tribal Nations Legislative Summit of the National Congress of American Indians at the Weston Hotel in the District of Columbia. Later in the day, he will be the keynote speaker for a Council of Energy Resource Tribes summit on Native energy development and its place in America's future. The afternoon event will be held at the Dirksen Senate Office Building at 4:30 p.m. on Capitol Hill, and will include representatives from 53 tribes and Canadian First Nations. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030409.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar marked the 160th Anniversary of the Department of the Interior today in a ceremony at the Yates Auditorium in the Main Interior Building. In addition to the 600 employees who packed the auditorium to watch the event, Department employees around the nation watched via satellite broadcast or listened via teleconference bridge. The Department was established on March 3, 1849. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030309a.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today met with the Mexican Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada and the Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhán to hear more about Mexico's priorities for bilateral environmental cooperation with the Department of the Interior. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030309.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised White House appointment of Kim Steven Elton as the Director of Alaska Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Elton has served as a member of the Alaska State Senate representing his hometown of Juneau since 1998, a position he will resign to take the Interior job. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030209.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of the Interior issued the following statement today regarding the February 24, 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, in which the Court said that land could not be taken into trust for the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island under Section 5 of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 because the Tribe was not under the jurisdiction of the United States in 1934. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/030309b.html