U.S. Department of the Interior

The Interior Department is spending another $64 million to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells that threaten the environment and public health, including some wells in the Mountain West.

The Interior Department is spending nearly $85 million to help communities in the West tackle challenges brought on by drought, and many of the projects are in the Mountain West.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recently announced an advisory committee to do away with place names considered derogatory and offensive toward Indigenous people.

Walker River Paiute Tribe chairman Amber Torres discusses her plans as a member of the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC).

Read or listen to news headlines for Thursday, June 23, 2022.

In Las Vegas, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Tuesday announced new efforts to facilitate more renewable energy development, including cutting by 50% rent and fees charged for wind and solar projects on public lands.

The first volume in the Interior's investigative report shows that the United States operated or supported 408 boarding schools in 37 states between 1819 and 1969, including 127 in the Mountain West. Editor's note: As a warning for those impacted by the trauma of Native American boarding schools, this story discusses some of what happened there.

Read or listen to the news headlines for Friday, May 6, 2022.

The Interior Department is reopening lease sales on public lands. However, the agency announced that it was 80% less acreage than the oil and gas industry nominated for leasing. The Interior also increased royalty rates.

Read or listen to the news headlines for Tuesday, April 19, 2022.