OPA

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke signed two secretarial orders to advance American energy independence. The Secretary’s orders foster responsible development of coal, oil, gas, and renewable energy on federal and Tribal lands and initiate review of agency actions directed by President Trump’s executive order entitled “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth.” Secretary Zinke also signed a charter establishing a Royalty Policy Committee to ensure the public receives the full value of natural resources produced from federal lands. In signing the historic actions on energy independence, Secretary Zinke was joined by Members of Congress from western states and other stakeholders.

"Today I took action to sign a series of directives that put America on track to achieve the President's vision for energy independence and bringing jobs back to communities across the country" said Secretary Zinke. "American energy powers our national and local economies. But for too many local communities, energy on public lands has been more of a missed opportunity and has failed to include local consultation and partnership. Today's orders allow for Americans to benefit from safe and environmentally responsible development on federal lands and put America on track for energy independence."

Secretarial Order 3348 overturns the 2016 moratorium on all new coal leases on federal land and ends the programmatic environmental impacts statement that was set to be completed no sooner than 2019. Based upon the Department’s review of Secretarial Order 3338, the order notes that, “the public interest is not served by halting the federal coal program for an extended time, nor is a PEIS required to consider potential improvements to the program.” The order notes that the federal coal leasing program supplies approximately 40 percent of the coal produced in the United States and is critically important to the U.S. economy.

Secretarial Order 3349 implements review of agency actions directed by the President’s Executive Order signed yesterday on energy independence. It also directs a reexamination of the mitigation and climate change policies and guidance across the Department of the Interior in order to better balance conservation strategies and policies with the equally legitimate need of creating jobs for hardworking American families. In particular, the order sets a timetable for review of agency actions that may hamper responsible energy development and reconsideration of regulations related to U.S. oil and natural gas development.

In an effort to ensure the public continues to receive the full value of natural resources produced on federal lands, Secretary Zinke also signed a charter establishing a Royalty Policy Committee to provide regular advice to the Secretary on the fair market value of and collection of revenues from Federal and Indian mineral and energy leases, include renewable energy sources. The Committee may also advise on the potential impacts of proposed policies and regulations related to revenue collection from such development, including whether a need exists for regulatory reform. The group will consist of up to 28 local, Tribal, state, and other stakeholders and will serve in an advisory role.

Secretary Zinke added that, "It's important that taxpayers get the full value of traditional and renewable energy produced on public lands and that we ensure companies conduct environmental reviews under NEPA and have reclamation plans."

Secretary Zinke issued the following statement regarding the President's executive order on energy independence:

"American energy production benefits the economy, the environment, and national security. First, it’s better for the environment that the U.S. produces energy. Thanks to advancements in drilling and mining technology, we can responsibly develop our energy resources and return the land to equal or better quality than it was before. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Middle East, and I can tell you with 100 percent certainty it is better to develop our energy here under reasonable regulations and export it to our allies, rather than have it produced overseas under little or no regulations. Second, energy production is an absolute boon to the economy, supporting more than 6.4 million jobs and supplying affordable power for manufacturing, home heating, and transportation needs. In many communities coal jobs are the only jobs. Former Chairman Old Coyote of the Crow Tribe in my home state of Montana said it best, 'there are no jobs like coal jobs.' I hope to return those jobs to the Crow people. And lastly, achieving American energy independence will strengthen our national security by reducing our reliance on foreign oil and allowing us to assist our allies with their energy needs. As a military commander, I saw how the power of the American economy and American energy defeated our adversaries around the world. We can do it again to keep Americans safe."

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WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke praised today’s announcement by the Department of Justice on the progress being made in coordinated federal, state, tribal and local efforts that are reducing the incidence of violent crime across the Nation.

“I am very happy to see that the Indian Country Federal Law Enforcement Coordination Group has been an integral part of this effort and is focusing on violent crime on Tribal reservations,” Secretary Zinke said. “The Federal Government provides significant public safety resources to Indian Country, with numerous departments and agencies delivering and supporting law enforcement services.

“Law enforcement in Indian Country is especially complex, and it is heart-breaking that crimes against Native American women and girls occur at exponentially higher rates than non-Native populations. It’s a subject that I have been especially passionate about since my time representing Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives. With many unique challenges that include sovereignty, jurisdiction, cross deputation, geographically disbursed areas, and cultural awareness among other items. I congratulate the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, which has co-led the Indian Country Federal Law Enforcement Coordination Group with the Department of Justice Office of Tribal Justice. Under my leadership the Bureau and Department will remain committed to the health and safety of all of Indian Country.”

The Indian Country Federal Law Enforcement Coordination Group, an assembly of sworn federal law enforcement officers and other stakeholders who have responsibilities in Indian Country, was created in response to suggestions by federal law enforcement officials who sought to enhance coordination and provide improved federal law enforcement services to Tribal communities.

“For the past two years, we have leveraged tribal, federal, state and local criminal justice partnerships to make a sustained effort to increase the number of reporting agencies using the FBI's Uniform Crime Report,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Michael S. Black. “This tool allows us to make more accurate comparisons of Indian Country crime to other non-Indian country communities.”

The Group enhances communication and fosters the free exchange of ideas and information between sworn federal law enforcement officers, agents, and other stakeholders who are based in Washington, D.C. and have oversight and/or operational responsibilities in Indian Country. Through better coordination, the goal of this group is to provide improved federal law enforcement services and support to Indian Country, ultimately helping to make Tribal communities safer.

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WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke issued the following statement today which was read during the 26th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service at the United States Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M. The ceremony formally announced the names of three fallen law enforcement officers from the Navajo and Chickasaw Nations as new inscriptions to the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument.

“Like the famous and humble actions of the WWII Code Talkers who valiantly stepped out of Indian Country to defend the United States from foreign threats, these three brave officers courageously rose up within Indian Country to protect tribal communities from unexpected dangers. Today, I pay their families and their memories the utmost respect for their ultimate sacrifices as we permanently add their names to this distinguished memorial. May this memorial continue to serve as a testament that those who answer the call of duty will never be forgotten.

"In a tradition from my Navy service, I respectfully bid 'fair winds and following seas' to the spirits of these brave men and women.”

The officers recognized at this year’s ceremony brought the total number of names listed on the monument to 114:

• Navajo Nation Police Officer Leander Frank who, on August 30, 2016, was killed in a traffic accident while responding to a disturbance call in the Chinle District of the Navajo Nation Reservation. Office Frank served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
• Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Agent Robert Patrick Flickinger who, on March 7, 2008, was killed in a traffic accident within the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma while serving in an undercover narcotics investigation of an outlaw motorcycle organization. Before joining the force, Agent Flickinger served two years in the U.S. Navy.
• Navajo Nation Chief of Police Hoska “Hoskie” Thompson who, on October 21, 1949, succumbed to freezing temperatures while trying to serve civil papers at a remote canyon area on the Navajo Reservation near the Arizona-New Mexico border.

The event is hosted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and is held in conjunction with the International Chiefs of Police’s (ICAP) Indian Country Law Enforcement Section and other law enforcement organizations and agencies, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers at the U.S. Indian Police Academy in Artesia. The formal ceremony consists of full law enforcement honors with flag presentation, 21-gun salute, honor guard, traditional drum song and prayer, officer roll call, and family recognition. Each year, invited dignitaries provide keynote remarks at the ceremony.

The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was first dedicated on May 7, 1992, at the Indian Police Academy then located in Marana, Ariz. The academy and memorial were later moved to their present site, where the latter was re-dedicated on May 6, 1993. The memorial’s design is based upon indigenous design concepts. Comprised of three granite markers sited within a circular walkway lined with sage, a plant of spiritual significance to many tribes, the memorial includes four planters filled with foliage in colors representing people of all nations. The planters represent the four directions and are located near the walkway’s entrance.

The earliest inscribed name dates back to 1852. In addition to those from BIA and tribal law enforcement, officers listed represent numerous law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Border Patrol, the New Mexico State Police, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Customs Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A list of the names inscribed on the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial is available at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ website.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON –President Donald Trump today proposed a $2.5 billion Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) budget for Indian Affairs, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). The President’s budget reaffirms his support of tribal sovereignty and self-determination across Indian Country by focusing on core funding and services to support ongoing tribal government operations, including an emphasis on infrastructure repair and improvements.

“President Trump promised the American people he would cut wasteful spending and make the government work for the taxpayer again, and that’s exactly what this budget does,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Working carefully with the President, we identified areas where we could reduce spending and also areas for investment, such as addressing the maintenance backlog in our National Parks and increasing domestic energy production on federal lands. The budget also allows the Department to return to the traditional principles of multiple-use management to include both responsible natural resource development and conservation of special places. Being from the West, I’ve seen how years of bloated bureaucracy and D.C.-centric policies hurt our rural communities. The President’s budget saves taxpayers by focusing program spending, shrinking bureaucracy, and empowering the front lines.”

“President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget request for Indian Affairs strongly reflects his proposed investments in education, energy development, and infrastructure which focus on enhancing tribal prosperity through tribal, rather than federal efforts,” said Michael S. Black, acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. “We will achieve that by refocusing our resources into those programs that are most effective in supporting tribal self-determination.”

Indian Affairs plays an important role in carrying out the federal government’s trust, treaty and other responsibilities to the nation’s 567 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.

Operation of Indian Programs

The FY18 budget proposal for Indian Affairs operational programs is $2.1 billion.

It includes $786.4 million for Advancing Indian Education, an investment that supports a vision for a 21st century Indian education system, grounded in both high academic standards and tribal values and traditions. The funding will allow for the comprehensive reorganization of the BIE to continue in FY18. The request proposes $643.9 million for Elementary and Secondary Education programs, $118.4 million for Post-Secondary programs, and $24.0 million for education management.

In its role as a capacity builder and service provider to support tribes in educating their youth and delivering world-class and culturally appropriate education across Indian Country, the budget request for Indian education focuses on direct school operations including classroom instruction, text books, student transportation, language development programs, Gifted and Talented programs, school maintenance, and in some remotely located schools, residential costs. Importantly, the budget continues to invest in activities that promote educational self-determination for Tribal communities. Accordingly, the budget proposes$74.4 million, an increase of $1.2 million, to fully fund Tribal Grant Support Costs for tribes that choose to operate BIE-funded schools.

The FY18 Operation of Indian Programs request for Supporting Indian Families and Protecting Indian Country includes:

• $123.9 million for BIA Office of Indian Services programs that provide social services, welfare assistance and Indian Child Welfare Act protections, all of which contribute to Indian Affairs’ mission to promote the development of prosperous tribal communities.
• $349.3 million for the BIA’s Office of Justice Services to support 190 law enforcement programs and 96 corrections programs operated by tribes and by the BIA as direct services, including $22.0 million for tribal courts and $1.3 million for fire protection.

The FY18 request for Supporting Sustainable Stewardship of Trust Resources and Lands supports Indian Affairs’ fiduciary trust responsibilities and sustainable stewardship of trust lands, natural resources and the environment in Indian Country. The budget proposes $112.0 million for the BIA’s Real Estate Services programs, which includes probating Indian trust assets, land title and records processing, geospatial support needs, and database management. The budget also proposes $165.5 million for the BIA’s Natural Resource Management programs, which assist tribes in the management, development and protection of Indian trust land and natural resources on 56 million surface acres and 59 million acres of subsurface mineral estates.

The budget supports the Administration’s focus on infrastructure with proposed increases totaling $12.3 million, including $3.8 million programs in the operations account for programs that support deferred maintenance projects for resource management infrastructure and roads. The budget includes:

• An additional $2.6 million for irrigation project operations and maintenance. This program serves the 17 Indian irrigation projects in the BIA’s asset inventory, 15 of which generate revenues that are used to fund most of their operations and maintenance. Annual receipts for the revenue-generating projects exceeded $33 million in 2016, which are reinvested into the projects.
• An increase of $1.2 million for the BIA’s Roads program for deferred maintenance projects. The program has maintenance responsibility for approximately 29,000 miles of BIA-owned roads and over 900 bridges.

The FY18 budget request also proposes $24.7 million for Minerals and Mining programs. Funding includes continued commitment to the Indian Energy Service Center, which was initially funded in 2016. Income from energy production is the largest source of revenue generated from trust lands, with royalty income of $534 million in 2016.

The FY18 request proposes $627.0 million for Tribal Priority Allocations, a $63.0 million decrease from the FY17 CR level.

Contract Support Costs

The President’s FY18 budget requests $241.6 million for Contract Support Costs, which support the tribes’ ability to assume responsibility for operating federal programs, maintains the Administration’s strong support for the principle of tribal self-determination and strengthening tribal communities across Indian Country. Based on the most recent analysis of funding levels in the 2018 request, the proposed amount will fully fund contract support costs.

Construction

The budget request for Construction is $143.3 million, which supports the Administration’s focus on Maintaining Essential Infrastructure and Resources.

It includes proposed increases totaling $12.3 million, including $8.5 million programs in the construction account, for deferred maintenance projects for resource management infrastructure and other BIA construction and deferred maintenance programs. The request proposes:

• An additional $2.5 million for the Safety of Dams program, which is currently responsible for 138 high or significant-hazard dams located on 42 Indian reservations, $1.8 million for dam maintenance, and $0.7 million for Survey and Design.
• An additional $1.5 million for irrigation projects rehabilitation. The irrigation rehabilitation program addresses critical deferred maintenance and construction work on BIA-owned and operated irrigation facilities, with a focus on health and safety concerns. Most facilities are reaching 100 years old and are in need of major capital improvements.
• An increase request of $2.0 million for deferred maintenance needs of regional and agency facilities at 127 locations to address safety, security and handicap accessibility issues where Indian programs are administered.

The budget provides $80.2 million for education construction programs to address deferred maintenance needs at the 183 campuses in the BIE school system. The proposal for construction projects is focused on continuing the planning and design of the 10 schools on the BIE’s 2016 School Replacement List as well as major improvement and repair projects at other education facilities.

Land and Water Claims Settlements

The FY18 request for authorized settlements payments is $14.0 million. Funding will support payments to enacted settlements authorized for appropriations. At the proposed funding level, the Department can continue to honor commitments within the statutory requirements for completion. These settlements resolve tribal land and water rights claims and ensure that tribes have access to land and water to meet their domestic, economic and cultural needs.

Indian Guaranteed Loan Program

The FY18 budget request for this program is $6.7 million. The funding level will guarantee $87.4 million in loan principal to support Indian economic development.

Indian Affairs’ FY18 Budget Justification is available here, and additional details on the President's FY18 Budget Request are available on the Department’s website. Visit https://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/2018/highlights to view the Department’s Budget in Brief.

The BIA’s mission includes developing and protecting Indian trust lands and natural and energy resources; supporting social welfare, public safety and justice in tribal communities; and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance. For more information, visit the Indian Affairs website.

The BIE implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools (of which two-thirds are tribally operated) located on 64 reservations in 23 states and peripheral dormitories serving over 47,000 individual students. BIE also operates two post-secondary schools, administers grants for 28 tribally controlled colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, and provides higher education scholarships to Native youth. For more information, visit the Bureau of Indian Education website.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke applauded the efforts of a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services (OJS) K-9 Police Officer who recently took more than 17 pounds of deadly drugs off the streets. The BIA officer was monitoring vehicle traffic on Interstate 25 on the San Felipe Pueblo Indian Reservation when he conducted a traffic stop resulting in the arrest of an individual, and the seizure of approximately 15.9 pounds of methamphetamine and 1.25 pounds of heroin.

A field test of the substances was conducted and returned positive results for the presence of methamphetamine from one of the fifteen packages and heroin from the one of packages. One package did test positive for heroin and had an approximate weight of 1.25 pounds (567.67 grams). On Thursday, August 30, 2018, a Criminal Complaint was filed in the District of New Mexico and the suspect was held for further court proceedings.

"Our Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers are the front line in America’s ongoing fight against opioids," said Secretary Zinke. "I applaud their fine efforts today and every day. Opioids have had a disproportionately negative effect on American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and as Secretary of the Interior, I understand how imperative our efforts are on this urgent issue. The DOI Opioid Task Force is doing a great job. I thank President Trump for his great leadership in helping us find creative ways to solve this crisis, and I look forward to a day when opioids no longer claim the lives of so many of our citizens."

"Thank you, Secretary Zinke and the hard working BIA-OJS officers on the ground, for helping to keep Indian Country safe," said Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney. "The President's Initiative is directly impacting the families within our tribal communities."

The Department of the Interior is committed to making available resources required to fight drug abuse, and earlier this year Secretary Zinke established the Department of the Interior’s drug fighting Joint Task Force to help achieve President Donald Trump's mission to end the opioid epidemic and make America safe. So far, the task force has made 155 arrests and confiscated approximately 1,155 pounds of illegal drugs. Secretary Zinke has continually worked with tribes to carry out President Trump’s directive to stop the drug and opioid crisis, conducting dozens of tribal visits to see the affected communities, while listening and learning about how to fight the crisis on the ground.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke sent a draft report to the president which included his findings and recommendations on national monuments that were under review as a result of the April 26, 2017 executive order. The report summary can be read here. The extensive 120-day review included more than 60 meetings with hundreds of advocates and opponents of monument designations, tours of monuments conducted over air, foot, car, and horseback (including a virtual tour of a marine monument), and a thorough review of more than 2.4 million public comments submitted to the Department on regulations.gov. Additionally, countless more meetings and conversations between senior Interior officials and local, state, Tribal, and non-government stakeholders including multiple Tribal listening sessions.

The review was initiated by President Trump in order to restore trust in the multiple-use mission of the Department and to give rural communities a voice in federal land management decisions. In order to make the process transparent and give local residents and stakeholders a voice, the Secretary announced on May 5, 2017 the opening up of a formal comment period for the review, as the President directed. This was the first time ever that a formal comment period was open on regulations.gov for national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act.

“No President should use the authority under the Antiquities Act to restrict public access, prevent hunting and fishing, burden private land, or eliminate traditional land uses, unless such action is needed to protect the object,” said Secretary Zinke.“The recommendations I sent to the president on national monuments will maintain federal ownership of all federal land and protect the land under federal environmental regulations, and also provide a much needed change for the local communities who border and rely on these lands for hunting and fishing, economic development, traditional uses, and recreation.”

While traveling across the country, Secretary Zinke met with hundreds of local stakeholders and heard concerns about some national monuments negatively impacting things like local revenue from federal lands, agriculture, private property rights, public access to land, traditional Tribal uses of the land, and timber harvesting.

Over the 120-day review, Secretary Zinke visited eight national monument sites in six states:

• Bears Ears (UT)
• Grand Staircase Escalante (UT)
• Katahdin Woods and Waters (ME)
• Northeast Canyons and Seamounts
• Cascade Siskiyou (OR & CA)
• Organ Mountain Desert-Peaks (NM)
• Basin and Range (NV)
• Gold Butte (NV)

The following national monuments were announced to have been removed from review prior to the August 24 deadline:

• Craters of the Moon
• Hanford Reach
• Upper Missouri River Breaks
• Grand Canyon-Parashant
• Canyons of the Ancients
• Sand to Snow

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced the appointment of 20 primary and 18 alternate members to the Department of the Interior’s Royalty Policy Committee (Committee) that will serve a critical role in advising the Secretary on policy and strategies to improve management of the multi-billion dollar, federal and American Indian mineral revenue program. The Committee’s first meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 4.

"Working closely with the Committee, we will come up with solutions for modernizing the management of public and American Indian assets, while building greater trust and transparency in how we value our nation's public mineral resources,” said Secretary Zinke. “It's important that the taxpayers and tribes get the full and fair value of traditional and renewable energy produced on public lands and offshore areas."

The Committee may also advise the Secretary on the potential impacts of proposed policies and regulations related to revenue collection from energy and mineral development on public lands, including whether a need exists for regulatory reform. To underscore the Department’s commitment to reforming revenue management and royalty collections, the Committee, which may consist of up to 28 members, reflects the diverse perspectives of a wide-range of stakeholders, including representatives of western states and American Indian tribes that produce energy, energy stakeholders, academic groups and the general public, as well as Interior officials. Non-federal members will serve three-year terms.

The Secretary appointed Vincent DeVito, Counselor to the Secretary for Energy Policy, as Chairman of the Committee. "On behalf of the Secretary, I am committed to aligning this Committee with our continuing drive toward making the Department a better business partner and delivering better results for American taxpayers,” said Chairman DeVito.

The agenda and meeting materials will be posted on the Committee website at www.doi.gov/rpc.

The meeting is open to members of the public, who may attend in person or view the documents and presentations under discussion via WebEx and listen to the proceedings at telephone number 1-888-455-2910 or International Toll number 210-839-8953 (passcode: 7741096). The public will be invited to make statements during the meeting and file written statements with the Committee for consideration. To submit written comments, contact Kim Oliver at rpc@ios.doi.gov or mail your written comments to Royalty Policy Committee, Attn: Kim Oliver, 1849 C Street NW MS 5134, Washington, D.C. 20240.

Secretary Zinke signed a charter in March of this year establishing the Royalty Policy Committee to review revenues collected from oil and gas drilling, coal mining and renewable energy production on federal lands and offshore areas, and provide regular advice to the Secretary on the fair market value of and collection of revenues from these Federal and Indian mineral and energy leases. Interested persons were invited in the Federal Register to submit their names under the process outlined in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The Secretary appointed the following non-federal members to the Committee:

The Federal Register Notice announcing the first meeting of the Committee can be accessed via the web at: https://www.federalregister.gov/. Additional information about the Committee and meeting materials can be found on the Committee website.

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WASHINGTON– Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke directed all Department of the Interior bureaus, superintendents, and land managers at all levels to adopt more aggressive practices, using the full authority of the Department, to prevent and combat the spread of catastrophic wildfires through robust fuels reduction and pre-suppression techniques.

This year-to-date, 47,700 wildfires have burned 8 million acres across the country, with the majority of the devastation in the states of California and Montana. High-profile fires in Yosemite and Glacier National Parks have caught national headlines, however millions of acres of forest and grassland have burned in recent months.

"This Administration will take a serious turn from the past and will proactively work to prevent forest fires through aggressive and scientific fuels reduction management to save lives, homes, and wildlife habitat. It is well settled that the steady accumulation and thickening of vegetation in areas that have historically burned at frequent intervals exacerbates fuel conditions and often leads to larger and higher-intensity fires," said Secretary Zinke. "These fires are more damaging, more costly, and threaten the safety and security of both the public and firefighters. In recent fire reviews, I have heard this described as 'a new normal.' It is unacceptable that we should be satisfied with the status quo. We must be innovative and where new authorities are needed, we will work with our colleagues in Congress to craft management solutions that will benefit our public lands for generations to come."

The Secretary is directing managers and superintendents of units that have burnable vegetation to address the threat of fire in all of their activities, and to use the full range of existing authorities, to reduce fuels.

Bryan Rice, Director of the Office of Wildland Fire, said, "It is critical to fully consider the benefits of fuels reduction in the everyday management activities that we carry out for our public land management objectives, such as clearing along roadsides, around visitor use areas like campgrounds and trails, near employee housing areas, and within administrative site areas subject to wildfire."

The Department has lost historic structures in wildfires like Glacier National Park's historic Sperry Chalet lodge. In an effort to help prevent future losses, the Secretary is also directing increased protection of Interior assets that are in wildfire prone areas, following the Firewise guidance, writing: "If we ask local communities to 'be safer from the start' and meet Firewise standards, we should be the leaders of and the model for 'Firewise-friendly' standards in our planning, development, and maintenance of visitor-service and administrative facilities."

“I welcome Secretary Zinke’s new directive and his attention to the catastrophic fires taking place in many western states,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “Treating our landscapes mitigates wildfire risk, increases firefighter safety, and makes our forests and rangelands healthy and resilient. We can no longer delay the implementation of this important work.”

House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop said, "We must ensure our land management agencies have the tools and resources they need to protect communities and landscapes from catastrophic wildfire. Over the long term, Congress and the Administration must work together to reverse the sorry state of our federal forests and grasslands. I’m heartened to finally have an Administration that’s focused on actively managing and addressing the on-the-ground conditions that are contributing to our historic wildfire crisis. I hope to build on this by enacting comprehensive legislation to restore the health and resiliency of federal lands.”

"If we don't start managing our forests, the forests are going to start managing us," said Montana Senator Steve Daines. "The fires burning across Montana are a catastrophe, and we need all available resources to combat this threat. I applaud Secretary Zinke’s action to focus resources on attacking wildfires."

“I applaud Secretary Zinke’s effort to thin the threat. If we can reduce the fuel loads in our forests and rangelands we will provide our fire fighters more defensible space to do their jobs," said Idaho Senator James Risch. "We need bold actions like this not just for the hurricanes in the south and east but also to avert the devastation caused by the wildfires in the west.”

“More than 50 million acres in the United States are currently at risk for catastrophic wildfire. That is why we must act to prevent calamitous fires. Management actions taken by Secretary Zinke today will not completely stop the risk, but it is an important step forward in our fight to turn unhealthy, overgrown, and infested forests into thriving, healthy ecosystems," said Congressman Bruce Westerman. "I commend Secretary Zinke for recognizing this emergency situation and taking steps to address prevent further loss of life and property due to these preventable, catastrophic wildfires. I am committed to working with him and my colleagues in Congress to find a permanent solution to this problem that emphasizes active forest management as the first line of defense against catastrophic wildfires.”

With Western Fire season reaching its natural peak in September, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) elevated the National Fire Preparedness Level to “5”, the highest level NMAC declares, on August 10, 2017. Above normal major-fire activity continues to be observed across portions of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, northern Great Basin, and northern California. Fuel moisture levels and fire danger indices in these areas are at near-record to record levels for severity. Drier and warmer than average conditions across the central Great Basin and Southern California are allowing for the fine fuels to become more receptive to fire activity.

See the full memo below.

Memorandum

To: Assistant Secretaries

Heads of Bureaus and Offices

Regional Directors

State Directors

Superintendents

Refuge Managers

District Managers

Field Office Managers

From: Secretary

Subject: Wildland Fire Directive

In June of this year, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and I gave direction on a broad strategy for addressing wildfire by managing our firefighting assets in the most efficient way possible. (2017 Direction to Wildland Fire Leadership Memorandum). As we anticipated, 2017 is challenging our wildland firefighting capabilities with a significant number of fires and acres burned to date. Nonetheless, I am pleased that you have taken to heart our direction to work together more effectively and to seek more opportunities to work with state and local partners. Secretary Perdue and I heard in Montana from local fire chiefs and county officials about the degree to which our teams have “collaborated from Day 1.” This collaboration has already made a difference, and I thank you.

It is well settled that the steady accumulation of vegetation in areas that have historically burned at frequent intervals exacerbates fuel conditions and often leads to larger and higher-intensity fires. These fires are more damaging, more costly, and threaten the safety and security of both the public and firefighters. In recent fire reviews, I have heard this described as “a new normal.” However, that does not mean that we should continue to address our challenges in the same ways that we have in the past. We must think differently about the threat of wildfire and how we manage public lands in ways that integrate fuels reduction – where it makes sense – into all our activities.

To our line officials – the field, district and refuge managers, and park and agency superintendents – I want to thank you for your response in deploying key staff to the wildfire emergencies (and now hurricanes) across the Nation. As the public continues to visit their lands in great numbers, we cannot await a weeks-off, season-ending event to think about how best to address the potential threat of catastrophic wildfires. Even as fires continue to burn, I ask that you think about a different way of managing public lands to better incorporate fuels management into your resource-management planning.

One of our Federal fire strategic goals is to ensure that landscapes and communities across all jurisdictions are resilient to fire-related disturbances in accord with management objectives. A key part of implementing such a strategy is carrying out activities that address vegetation composition and structure and also alters fuel loads to reduce hazards. Such methods of fuel treatment safeguard public and firefighter safety and protect our landscapes, scenic vistas, and natural and historic objects; our neighbors, nearby communities, and infrastructure; and our own administrative and visitor service assets and facilities.

For our managers and superintendents of units that have burnable vegetation, I am directing you to think about fire in a new and aggressive way. Address the threat of fire in all of your activities, rather than engaging only the fire staff. All land managers across the Department of the Interior (Department) have a responsibility, using the full range of existing authorities, to consider using fuels management to achieve their programs’ and units’ resource- and land-management objectives. Where dead and dying trees have become hazards that can carry fire across our boundaries or into areas that are a threat to values-at-risk, we must move aggressively to minimize that threat. If we don’t have the people on hand, we have authorities to contract it to capable resource managers in the private sector. It makes little sense to be thinning to protect structures when we see flames on the ridge and smoke in the air—fuel management is more effective when undertaken before fires break out.

Where our roads have narrowed over the years as vegetation and trees have encroached, even into ditches and onto shoulders, we should be clearing this vegetation away. In our administrative and employee housing areas where we have allowed the natural landscape to grow closer to our structures, we should remove the fire threat to create defensible space. If we ask local communities to “be safer from the start” and meet Firewise standards, we should be the leaders of and the model for “Firewise-friendly” standards in our planning, development, and maintenance of visitor-service and administrative facilities.

I will be asking our program officials at the Department level to call for appropriate reviews and identification of resource needs and data gaps. Each of you should ensure your fire management plans are up to date and include the identified needs for a robust fuels-management program to support wildfire prevention and suppression efforts to be developed and implemented by both fire and other resource staff.

I ask you to do the following: 1) use our existing policies more aggressively; 2) think differently about how those policies may be applied; 3) look for opportunities to partner with adjacent agencies, state and local governments, tribes, and private landowners to maximize resources; 4) look carefully at your existing management plans and ask if you are doing all you can today to address the threats of tomorrow; and 5) ensure that our landscapes are restored and maintained to meet our mission.

In our June memo, Secretary Perdue and I emphasized our implementation of Federal wildland fire policy and its emphasis on firefighter and public safety. That emphasis remains.

We must also identify ways to address the realities we face in a safer and more effective manner. We simply cannot afford to continue business as usual. We must do everything we can to address the steady accumulation of fuels on our Nation’s public lands and the resulting increased threats from catastrophic wildfires.

You and your staff are critical to making the changes necessary to better address the challenges we will face together in the future.

NOTE: Heads of bureaus and offices shall distribute this memorandum to all regional and/or state directors, district managers, field office managers, superintendents, and/or refuge managers.