This Week, at Interior

President Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union address this week. In the address, the President laid out his vision for an inclusive economy where people of every background are finding new opportunities.



The American Nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the toughest, strongest, fiercest, and most determined men and women ever to walk the face of the Earth. Our ancestors braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness; settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine; laid down the railroads, dug out canals, raised up the skyscrapers -- and, ladies and gentlemen, our ancestors built the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history. And we are making it greater than ever before! (Applause)

Other themes he touched on: commonsense regulatory reform, supporting and promoting working families and the Blue Collar Boom.



He celebrated our country’s bold regulatory reduction campaign, that has paved the way for the United States to become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world.

Secretary Bernhardt was this year’s “designated survivor” and watched the State of the Union Address from an undisclosed location. He says Interior will continue to advance the President’s agenda for a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America.

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Rob Wallace and Acting Director of the National Park Service David Vela visited Mount Rushmore to work on logistics for bringing fireworks back. The National Park Service is assisting President Trump in fulfilling his promise to South Dakota… the state is aiming for July 3rd.

President Trump has declared February as National African-American History Month, a month to salute the pivotal, triumphant and courageous moments that African-Americans have played in our Nation's history. This year’s theme is *African Americans and the Vote,* recognizing those brave individuals who sacrificed their lives to stand against inequalities, fight for diversity, and to champion inclusion.

Secretary Bernhardt has announced the availability of Fiscal Year 2020 Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation grants… those grants are distributed by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. This year’s grants will provide more than one hundred seventy million dollars for states and tribes to reclaim abandoned coal lands.

Interior’s Central Hazardous Materials Fund is marking twenty-five years of success this week… the fund has backed environmental cleanups on Department-managed lands at sites such as Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania, and Crab Orchard National Wildlife refuge in Illinois. In all the fund has supported cleanup activities on one hundred fourteen sites.

And our social media Picture of the Week, this Canada lynx keeping it nimble in the snows of Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. You’d be nimble too, with those big wide feet that act like snowshoes.

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That’s This Week, at Interior.