Press Releases

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

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

The Department of the Interior today announced that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has been formally designated as the lead federal agency responsible for overseeing the decommissioning of oil and gas platforms within the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. This responsibility was transferred from the Department of Commerce to Interior, underscoring BSEE’s critical role in managing safe, environmentally sound offshore energy transitions.

The Department of the Interior today announced the release of a new U.S. Geological Survey assessment identifying significant undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Mowry Composite Total Petroleum System.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today signed a joint memo on wildfire preparedness, ensuring our two Departments are working in close coordination this fire season. Interior will work across President Trump’s cabinet and with our trusted state, local, and tribal partners to ensure our nation’s wildland firefighting system is highly coordinated and focused on fighting wildfires quickly and effectively.

Advancing President Donald J. Trump's strategic focus on domestic critical mineral development, the Department of the Interior today announced it is initiating the process to evaluate a potential mineral lease sale in the waters offshore American Samoa.

The Department of the Interior today announced the launch of a public comment period to support the Administration’s efforts to streamline federal regulations and reduce unnecessary red tape. A formal Request for Information will be published in the Federal Register next week.

In alignment with President Trump’s agenda to eliminate burdensome regulations and stimulate economic growth, the Department of the Interior announced today the proposed rescission of a rule governing solar and wind energy development on public lands.

In support of the Trump Administration’s energy dominance agenda, the Department of the Interior today announced a Bureau of Land Management policy update designed to expedite the oil and gas leasing process on public lands.

The Department of the Interior announced today the expedited permitting review of a major energy project—the Velvet-Wood mine in Utah—under its newly established emergency procedures.