WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of the Interior moved this past week to reshape its approach to wildfire response, tribal education and national energy supply, announcing the creation of a unified U.S. Wildland Fire Service, reporting record graduation rates at Bureau of Indian Education schools, and unveiling a multistate agreement to expand power generation without taxpayer funding.
Interior officials said the department is taking formal steps to establish the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, a new entity intended to unify wildfire management programs that are currently spread across multiple bureaus, including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the move is designed to streamline decision-making and improve response as wildfires grow larger, more intense and more costly nationwide.
Interior appointed veteran fire leader Brian Fennessy to oversee the implementation of the new service. Fennessy previously served as chief of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and the Orange County Fire Authority and began his career with the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. He said the initial effort will focus on strengthening coordination and building a framework that better supports firefighters and the communities they protect.
The wildfire announcement came days before Interior reported historic gains in tribal education outcomes. The Bureau of Indian Education said its high school graduation rate reached 79 percent in 2025, the highest in its history, up from 51 percent in 2015. The gains exceed pre-pandemic levels and come as national graduation rates have struggled in the aftermath of COVID-19 disruptions.
Interior officials attributed the improvement to sustained reforms emphasizing accountability, data-driven instruction and professional development. The bureau reported a 9 percent increase in math proficiency and a 10 percent increase in English language arts proficiency since 2016, supported by upgraded data systems, real-time instructional dashboards and expanded coaching for educators. The Bureau of Indian Education serves more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students nationwide.
At the same time, Burgum, in his role as chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council, joined Energy Secretary Chris Wright in announcing a landmark agreement with a bipartisan group of governors to expand electricity generation across the PJM market, which serves the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest. The agreement aims to advance more than $15 billion in new power-generation projects to address rising electricity prices and surging demand driven by data centers and the digital economy.
Under the plan, a coalition of technology companies has committed to funding the new generation capacity, shifting the cost burden away from residential customers and taxpayers. Administration officials said the initiative will strengthen grid reliability, protect energy-intensive manufacturing in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, and support the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The energy agreement follows a national energy emergency declaration issued by President Donald J. Trump at the start of his administration. Interior and Energy Department officials said the initiative is intended to restore affordable, reliable baseload power after years of plant closures and rising prices, while ensuring the nation’s grid can meet future industrial and technological demands.
Together, the announcements signal a broad Interior Department push to centralize wildfire response, sustain gains in tribal education and anchor economic growth to expanded domestic energy production, with officials framing all three efforts as long-term investments in public safety, workforce readiness and national resilience.
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