United States Department of the Interior


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United States
Department of the Interior
Seal of the Department of the Interior
Seal of the Department of the Interior
Agency overview
Formed March 3, 1849
Employees 71,436 (2004)
Annual Budget $10.7 billion (2004)
Agency Executives Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary
 
Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary
Website
www.doi.gov

The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally owned land, and administers programs related to indigenous populations of the United States and its insular territories. These responsibilities are different from other countries' Interior Departments or ministries, which tend to focus on police or security.

It is administered by the United States Secretary of the Interior. The current Secretary of the Interior is Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho.

Contents

Government

For nearly two years the Department of the Interior used this seal, which was withdrawn quickly because of poor public perception.

A department for domestic concern was first considered by the First United States Congress in 1789, but those duties were placed in the Department of State. The idea of a separate domestic department continued to percolate for a half-century and was supported by Presidents from James Madison to James Polk. The 1846-48 Mexican-American War gave the proposal new steam as the responsibilities of the federal government grew. President Polk's Secretary of the Treasury, Robert J. Walker became a vocal champion of creating the new department.

In 1848, Walker stated in his annual report that several federal offices were placed in departments with which they had little to do. He noted that General Land Office had little to do with the Department of the Treasury. He also highlighted the Indian Affairs office in the Department of War and the Patent Office in the State Department. He argued that all should be brought together in a new Department of the Interior.

A bill authorizing its creation passed the House of Representatives on February 15, 1849, and spent just over two weeks in the Senate. The Department was established on March 3, 1849, the eve of President Zachary Taylor's inauguration, when the Senate voted 31 to 25 to create the Department. Its passage was delayed by Congressional Democrats who were reluctant to create more patronage opportunities for the incoming Whig administration.

Department of Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Many of the domestic concerns the Department originally dealt with were gradually transferred to other Departments. Other agencies became separate Departments, such as the Bureau of Agriculture, which later became the Department of Agriculture. However, land and natural resource management, Native American affairs, wildlife conservation, and territorial affairs remain the responsibilities of the Department of the Interior.

As of mid-2004, the Department managed 507 million acres (2,050,000 km²) of surface land, or about one-fifth of the land in the United States. It manages 476 dams and 348 reservoirs through the Bureau of Reclamation, 388 national parks, monuments, seashore sites, etc. through the National Park Service, and 544 national wildlife refuges through the Fish and Wildlife Service. Energy projects on federally managed lands and offshore areas supply about 28 percent of the nation's energy production.

Native Americans

Within the Interior Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs handles some federal relations with Native Americans, while others are handled by the Office of Special Trustee. The current acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs is George Skibine. The Department has been the subject of disputes over proper accounting for Indian Trusts set up to track the income and pay-out of monies that are generated by trust and restricted Native American lands. Currently there are several cases that seek accountings of such funds from the Departments of Interior and Treasury.

Controversy

Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt — already facing criticism related to his alleged hostility to environmentalism and his support of the development and use of federal lands by foresting, ranching, and other commercial interests, and for banning The Beach Boys from playing a 1983 Independence Day concert on the National Mall out of concerns of attracting "an undesirable element" — resigned abruptly after a September 21, 1983 speech in which he said about his staff: "I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."[1] Within weeks of making this statement, Watt submitted his resignation letter.[1][2]

Julie A. MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary at the Interior Department appointed by U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002, resigned on 1 May 2007 after an internal review found that she had violated federal rules by giving government documents to lobbyists for industry.[3][4] On 20 July, 2007, MacDonald's "inappropriate influence" led H. Dale Hall, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, to order a review of eight endangered species decisions in which the former deputy assistant secretary was involved. Hall has called MacDonald's disputed decisions a "a blemish on the scientific integrity of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior."[5] On 17 September 2008, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to more than triple the habitat of the California red-legged frog, citing political manipulation by Julie MacDonald.[6]

On 10 September 2008, the department’s inspector general, Earl E. Devaney, found wrongdoing by a dozen current and former employees of the Minerals Management Service. In a cover memo, Devaney wrote “A culture of ethical failure” pervades the agency. According to the report, eight officials accepted gifts from energy companies whose value exceeded limits set by ethics rules — including golf, ski, and paintball outings, meals, drinks, and tickets to a Toby Keith concert, a Houston Texans football game, and a Colorado Rockies baseball game. The investigation also concluded that several of the officials “frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.” According to the New York Times, "The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch."[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Current Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has been criticized for not placing any plants or animals on the federal endangered species list since his confirmation on May 26, 2006 until September 2007. As of that date, Kempthorne held the record for protecting fewer species over his tenure than any Interior Secretary in United States history, a record previously held by James G. Watt for over 20 years.[17]

Operating units

The hierarchy of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

References

  1. ^ a b 556. James G Watt, US Secretary of the Interior. Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations. 1988
  2. ^ RMOA - Document
  3. ^ Matthew Daly (May 1, 2007). "Embattled Interior official resigns post", Associated Press. 
  4. ^ New York Times, "U.S. Agency May Reverse 8 Decisions on Wildlife", July 21, 2007.
  5. ^ Broder, John M (2007-07-21). "U.S. Agency May Reverse 8 Decisions on Wildlife", New York Times. 
  6. ^ A California frog may be about to get room to stretch its red legs
  7. ^ Sex, Drug Use and Graft Cited in Interior Department
  8. ^ "Report Says Oil Agency Ran Amok: Interior Dept. Inquiry Finds Sex, Corruption", The Washington Post. Retrieved on 11 September 2008. 
  9. ^ "Sex, Drug Use and Graft Cited in Interior Department", The New York Times. Retrieved on 11 September 2008. 
  10. ^ "Oil companies gave sex, drinks, gifts to federal overseers", McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved on 11 September 2008. 
  11. ^ "Memorandum [cover letter by inspector general]". Retrieved on 2008-09-11.
  12. ^ "Investigative Report of Gregory W. Smith (Redacted)". Retrieved on 2008-09-11.
  13. ^ "Investigative Report of MMS Oil Marketing Group - Lakewood (Redacted)". Retrieved on 2008-09-11.
  14. ^ "Government Officials Tried To Rewrite Ethics Rules To Accommodate Their Partying". Retrieved on 2008-09-11.
  15. ^ "Official increased employee’s ‘performance award’ for providing him with cocaine". Retrieved on 2008-09-11.
  16. ^ Simon, Dan; David Fitzpatrick (October 14 2008). "Whistleblower: Oil watchdog agency 'cult of corruption'". CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/14/oil.whistleblower/index.html. 
  17. ^ Kempthorne Wins 2007 Rubber Dodo Award : Protects Fewer Species Than Any Interior Secretary in History
  • Crimes Against Nature by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (2004)
  • Utley, Robert M. and Barry Mackintosh; The Department of Everything Else, Highlights of Interior History; Dept of the Interior, Washington, D.C.; 1989

External links

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United States Federal Executive Departments
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Agencies under the United States Department of the Interior
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United States government agencies involved in environmental science
United States Environmental Protection Agency
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National Oceanic and
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Department of Energy
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy • Energy Information Administration • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission • Biological and Environmental Research • Office of Environmental Management
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