Department of Interior

The US Department of Energy announced a $625 million investment to expand America’s coal industry, aiming to increase energy production and support coal communities.

The new schedule plans for sales in the US Gulf and Alaska through 2039.

The updates remove some requirements from two grant programs in an attempt to speed up the application process.

Sale 262 will be the first new auction covering leases in US Gulf federal waters in 2 years.

The emergency permitting rules aim to accelerate geothermal energy development. Ormat Technologies' three Nevada projects will be the first to benefit from the streamlined process, with environmental reviews cut from years to weeks.

Using emergency procedures, the permitting timeline is expected to be significantly reduced, from years to weeks in some cases.

The Interior Department has now approved more than 19 GW of offshore wind energy.

The money from the Investing in America agenda will be used for plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells in national parks, national forests, and national wildlife refuges.

The Bureau of Land Management finalized the Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska rule aimed at more than 13 million acres in the western Arctic.

The new rule aims to cut energy waste from venting, flaring, and leaks and is expected to help generate $50 million annually in additional natural gas royalty payments.