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DENVER – The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) announced today that BP America Inc. has been assessed a civil penalty of $5.2 million for submitting “false, inaccurate, or misleading” reports for energy production that occurred on Southern Ute Indian Tribal lands in southwestern Colorado. The civil penalty announced today is not related to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Vice President Joe Biden visited New Orleans and Pensacola, Fla., to survey the response efforts, visit with Gulf Coast residents impacted by the spill, and meet with area officials.

WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy today announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will strengthen the working relationship between the two agencies on the future development of commercial renewable offshore energy projects on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that more than 1,850 local governments around the nation will receive payments totaling $358.1 million under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program this year to compensate them for non-taxable federal land in their jurisdictions.

Under the direction of the federal government, BP continues to capture some oil and burn gas at the surface using its containment dome technique—collecting oil aboard the Discoverer Enterprise.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Space Policy announced by the White House today recognizes and endorses the Department of the Interior's expertise and accomplishments in land imaging and remote sensing to advance global climate change research and provide data for science and natural resource management.

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior will continue to process eligible pending applications for gaming on Indian lands while it consults and collaborates with tribal leaders in a comprehensive review of federal Indian gaming policy, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk said today.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was joined by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman and Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Director Bob Perciasepe to host a public listening session today on how to conserve lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and open up the region's extraordinary recreational opportunities to more Americans.