WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en-US 00:00:00.593 --> 00:00:01.440 (Music starts) 00:00:01.440 --> 00:00:04.440 This Week at Interior 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:10.160 Secretary Burgum this week is taking immediate  steps to unleash Alaska’s untapped natural   00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:16.360 resource potential and support President Trump’s  vision of American Energy Dominance. The Bureau   00:00:16.360 --> 00:00:21.560 of Land Management will move forward with efforts  to increase exploration and development in both   00:00:21.560 --> 00:00:27.360 the National Petroleum Reserve and the Coastal  Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.   00:00:27.360 --> 00:00:32.800 The BLM will also work towards partial revocation  of public land withdrawals that will help solidify   00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:39.680 the path forward for the proposed Ambler Road and  Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline projects. 00:00:39.680 --> 00:00:43.720 In this initial suite of actions,  the Interior and BLM will pursue: 00:00:43.720 --> 00:00:49.360 Reopening up to 82% of the National Petroleum  Reserve in Alaska available to leasing and   00:00:49.360 --> 00:00:54.800 expanding energy development opportunities in  the approximately 23-million-acre reserve.   00:00:54.800 --> 00:00:59.680 Reinstating a program that makes the  entire 1.56-million-acre Coastal Plain   00:00:59.680 --> 00:01:04.480 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge  available for oil and gas leasing.   00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:09.560 And revoking withdrawals along the Trans-Alaska  Pipeline Corridor and Dalton Highway north of   00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:14.760 the Yukon River in order to convey these lands to  State of Alaska. This action would help pave the   00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:20.760 way forward for the proposed Ambler Road and the  Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline project, two   00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:26.040 projects that stand to increase job opportunities  and encourage Alaska’s economic growth.   00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:30.800 Through these actions and more to come, Interior  is set to deliver on the President’s promise   00:01:30.800 --> 00:01:36.160 to unlock Alaska’s abundant supply of natural  resources for the benefit of Alaskans and the   00:01:36.160 --> 00:01:41.320 nation, providing economic and national  security for many generations to come. 00:01:41.320 --> 00:01:46.560 To revive offshore energy development efforts,  President Trump this week signed a joint   00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:52.280 resolution disapproving the Bureau of Ocean Energy  Management’s rule titled "Protection of Marine   00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:58.160 Archaeological Resources." The rule, published  last year under the previous administration,   00:01:58.160 --> 00:02:04.200 mandated that all new oil and gas leaseholders on  the Outer Continental Shelf submit archaeological   00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:09.680 reports in previously unsurveyed areas where  operations proposed seafloor disturbing   00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:15.000 activities. Secretary Burgum applauded the  move, saying that offshore energy development   00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:21.800 is a vital component of our national security  and a critical driver of American prosperity. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:26.360 Interior this week announced permanent pay  increases for federal and Tribal wildland   00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:30.960 firefighters across the United States  after President Trump signed the Full-Year   00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:36.520 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions  Act into law. As wildfires grow larger and   00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:41.360 more destructive — threatening communities,  livelihoods, and infrastructure — wildland   00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:47.200 fire personnel face growing demands. Improving  firefighter pay will help address this challenge   00:02:47.200 --> 00:02:53.400 by enabling the Department and Tribes to hire  and retain top employees in this critical field. 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:58.680 Secretary Burgum and Housing and Urban Development  Secretary Scott Turner this week announced a new   00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:03.760 Joint Task Force to increase the supply of  housing and decrease home ownership costs for   00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:09.560 millions of Americans. In a Wall Street Journal  op-ed the Secretaries said Interior and HUD will   00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:15.240 identify locations that can support homes while  pinpointing where housing needs are most pressing. 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:20.320 HUD will work with DOI to assess the  housing needs in areas where federal   00:03:20.320 --> 00:03:25.480 lands may be available yet underutilized  and implement tailored housing programs   00:03:25.480 --> 00:03:29.880 with guidance from states and  localities. This partnership   00:03:29.880 --> 00:03:34.880 will identify underutilized federal lands  suitable for residential development and   00:03:34.880 --> 00:03:41.000 streamline the land transfer process. It'll also  promote policies that increase the availability of   00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:46.360 affordable housing while balancing important  environmental and land use considerations. 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:49.920 Interior this week announced the U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Service has completed   00:03:49.920 --> 00:03:53.480 the transfer of 680 acres of  land to the Bureau of Indian   00:03:53.480 --> 00:03:57.520 Affairs to be held in trust for the  Spirit Lake Nation in Benson County,   00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:02.600 North Dakota. The transfer marks the culmination  of a many decades' long effort by the Spirit   00:04:02.600 --> 00:04:07.240 Lake Nation and reflects the administration’s  commitment to strengthening tribal sovereignty,   00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:12.320 promoting economic opportunities, and enhancing  the quality of life for Indigenous people. 00:04:12.320 --> 00:04:16.800 The Bureau of Land Management this week conducted  a competitive online sale through the Southern   00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:22.800 Nevada Public Land Management Act. Eight parcels  totaling nearly 42 acres in the Las Vegas Valley   00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:27.760 were sold, generating more than 16 and half  million dollars. Eighty-five percent of those   00:04:27.760 --> 00:04:31.800 funds will go to projects throughout Nevada,  such as the development of parks, trails,   00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:37.240 and natural areas, hazardous fuels reduction,  landscape restoration projects and more. 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:42.000 And our social media Picture of the Week, here’s  to warmer temperatures, new life and dramatic   00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:47.240 splashes of every imaginable color, as spring  finally arrives in the Northern Hemisphere.   00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:51.840 Here at Redwood National and State Parks in  California, it won't be long before the fields   00:04:51.840 --> 00:04:57.120 and hills are covered with the park's iconic  blooms of lupine, as far as the eye can see. 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:01.760 Make sure you follow us on  Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X! 00:05:01.760 --> 00:05:10.760 That's This Week at Interior 00:05:10.760 --> 00:05:11.486 (Music ends)