Press Releases

The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service invite Americans to celebrate the people, places and events that shaped our nation during National Park Week, Aug. 22-30, 2026.

The Department of the Interior today announced the largest expansion of hunting and sport fishing opportunities in the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. With this action, more than 92 million acres, or over 95% of National Wildlife Refuge System lands, are available for hunting, marking a significant milestone in expanding public access to America’s lands and waters and reinforcing the administration’s commitment to outdoor recreation, conservation and rural economic growth. 

The Department of the Interior today announced that the Marine Minerals Administration’s Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 3, or BBG3, generated $82,689,756 in high bids for 59 blocks in federal waters of the Gulf of America. Sixteen companies submitted 69 bids totaling $99,476,285.

Six years after President Donald J. Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, the Department of the Interior continues to deliver historic investments in America's public lands through the law's Legacy Restoration Fund. As the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary throughout 2026, these investments are restoring historic landmarks, modernizing critical infrastructure and enhancing visitor experiences at the places where America's story is preserved and shared. 

The Department of the Interior today announced a proposed rule through the Marine Minerals Administration to modernize and refine federal regulations governing exploratory oil and gas drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf, advancing President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to unleash American Energy Dominance while maintaining strong safety and environmental oversight.

The Bureau of Reclamation has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement, which designates a preferred course of action for future management of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The preferred alternative establishes an adaptive decision framework to be used to develop operating guidelines designed to ensure reliable operations in the Colorado River Basin while maintaining the flexibility to respond to changing conditions over a 10-year period through 2036. The framework also preserves the opportunity for the Basin to continue working towards consensus agreements, and if successful, be incorporated into future operations.

On Friday, July 24, U.S. Wildland Fire Service firefighter Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, died from injuries sustained while responding to the Knowles Fire in western Colorado on June 27.

The Department of the Interior today released a U.S. Geological Survey report on coal resources beneath federally managed public lands in the United States, estimating that there are 4.2 billion short tons of reported coal reserves associated with active mines and an additional 356 billion short tons of available coal resources. 

The U.S. Department of the Interior today highlighted its extensive contributions to the Genesis Mission, a government-wide initiative led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy that harnesses artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery, strengthen American Energy Dominance and bolster national security.

Today, the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) announces additional, necessary revisions to regulations under the Endangered Species Act.