United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the Department of the Interior (DOI), an agency established in 1849 to manage the nation's natural resources, public lands, and wildlife. The secretary oversees a range of departments, including the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and plays a crucial role in conserving and protecting the country's environmental heritage. This position has historical significance, as it was created in response to the significant territorial expansion of the United States in the mid-19th century, and the DOI has since been instrumental in initiatives such as the establishment of Yellowstone National Park and various national monuments.
The Secretary of the Interior is appointed by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate, ensuring a level of legislative oversight. Noteworthy figures who have held this position include Gale Norton, the first woman to serve, and Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet member. The responsibilities of the secretary also involve advising the President on relevant legislation and reporting to Congress about DOI matters, reflecting the interconnectedness of environmental management and national policy-making. Collectively, the DOI manages an extensive amount of federal land, exceeding 400 million acres, demonstrating its vital role in the stewardship of America's natural and cultural resources.
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United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the US Department of the Interior (DOI). This individual is responsible for managing the DOI and all its agencies. The DOI is primarily concerned with protecting US natural resources including public lands, national parks, and native species.
The secretary of the interior reports to Congress on matters relevant to the DOI and advises the president on legislation. He or she also manages the many departments, bureaus, and offices within the DOI.
Overview
The United States secretary of the interior oversees the Department of the Interior (DOI), which was formed in 1849. The DOI was founded in response to the large amount of territory gained by America between 1845 and 1848. During this time, America expanded its northern border to Canada and its southern border to Mexico. Many in Congress were unsure how to manage this sudden increase in territory.
Robert J. Walker, then secretary of the treasury, devised a plan to reorganize numerous offices into a department better suited to handle these affairs. He proposed that the General Land Office (GLO), the Patent Office, and the Indian Affairs Office (IAO) be removed from their respective departments and combined into the DOI. After the bill was approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives in 1849, the DOI was signed into law.
The DOI was designed to protect the nation’s land and national resources. It has worked closely with Congress since its inception to pursue these goals. Many of its most notable acts would not have been possible without this cooperation. These include the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903, and the National Park Service (NPS) in 1916. The NPS manages all the national parks in the United States.
Over time, the DOI developed into a general conservation agency that is responsible for managing, maintaining, and developing most public lands and national resources. The DOI also manages the natural wildlife found throughout the United States. Collectively, the DOI manages more than 500 wildlife refuges, 360 national parks, and 400,000,000 acres of federal lands. It includes the NPS, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The secretary of the interior is appointed by the president. Like the secretaries of other cabinets in the Executive Branch, the president’s appointment must be confirmed by the Senate. If the Senate refuses, the president must find another nominee.
One famous historic secretary of the interior is Columbus Delano, who sent out the first exploratory party for Yellowstone Valley in 1871. The surveying conducted by these explorers resulted in the creation of the world’s first national park. Another famous secretary of the interior, Bruce Babbitt, created the National Landscapes Program, which established numerous national monuments and conservation areas. Gale Norton, the forty-eighth secretary of the interior, was the first woman to be appointed to the position. Deb Haaland, the fifty-fourth secretary of the interior, was the first Native American appointed to the position as well as the first to serve as a Cabinet secretary.
Bibliography
“Bureaus.” US Department of the Interior,” 2018, www.doi.gov/bureaus. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.
“Department of the Interior.” AllGov, 2016, www.allgov.com/departments/department-of-the-interior?detailsDepartmentID=576. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.
“Department of Interior.” NPR, govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/status/mission/mdoi.htm. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.
"Secretary Deb Haaland Has Made Historic Progress at the Department of Interior." Center for American Progress, 3 June 2024, www.americanprogress.org/article/secretary-deb-haaland-has-made-historic-progress-at-the-department-of-the-interior/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.
“US Department of the Interior.” BallotPedia, 2018, ballotpedia.org/U.S.‗Department‗of‗the‗Interior. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.