U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is an essential part of the executive branch of the U.S. government, responsible for managing and conserving the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage. Established on March 3, 1849, the DOI emerged to address various domestic duties as federal responsibilities expanded. Today, it oversees significant land and resource management activities through its nine major bureaus, including the Bureau of Land Management, which manages vast federal lands, and the National Park Service, responsible for maintaining numerous national parks and historical sites.
Additionally, the DOI plays a vital role in wildlife conservation through the Fish and Wildlife Service and oversees American Indian affairs via the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The department also engages in water resource management through the Bureau of Reclamation. While the DOI's mission is crucial for environmental stewardship and resource utilization, it has faced challenges, including scandals and ethical concerns in its history. Recent reorganizations within the department aim to enhance its efficiency and responsiveness to contemporary resource management issues, particularly in light of events like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Overall, the DOI remains integral to balancing resource development with conservation efforts across the United States.
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U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
- DATE: Established 1849
The US Department of the Interior is the federal agency entrusted with conserving much of the nation’s natural resources. These resources include federal forests and grazing land; national parks; water and irrigation; oil, gas, and coal; Native American lands; and fish and wildlife.
Background
The Department of the Interior is part of the executive branch of the US government. The secretary of the interior is a member of the president’s cabinet, confirmed by the Senate. The three original executive departments of the federal government established in 1789 were Foreign Affairs, War, and Treasury. Given the limited role intended for the federal government in internal affairs, there was no executive department to handle general domestic management. As the range of federal responsibilities emerged, Congress established the Department of the Interior on March 3, 1849, to assume various domestic duties of the federal government.
Impact on Resource Use
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Department of the Interior conducted a wide range of domestic activities, such as controlling American Indian affairs, managing federal lands, paying federal pensions, granting patents, conducting the census, constructing the infrastructure for the District of Columbia, surveying the Western territories, and overseeing federal monetary and land grants to hospitals and colleges. As a result, the Department of the Interior received the unofficial title of “Department of Everything Else.” As Congress created additional departments to assume these manifold tasks, the chief purpose of the Department of the Interior came into view: to manage and conserve the natural resources of the nation.
The principal work of the modern Department of the Interior is performed by eleven bureaus. Perhaps the best way to understand the crucial role the Department of the Interior plays in administering the nation’s resources is to outline the functions of its major divisions. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages more than 245 million acres of federal surface lands and around 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate, much of which is leased for cattle grazing and ranching, lumber logging, coal and mining, and oil and gas drilling. In fiscal year 2020, it was estimated that activities conducted on lands managed by the BLM contributed $6.59 billion to the nation's economic output. The National Park Service manages over 85 million acres, comprising 418 federal parks, monuments, trails, cultural sites, and more. The Fish and Wildlife Service manages more than 150 million acres of wildlife refuges to conserve and foster marine and animal life. The Bureau of Indian Affairs manages 55 million acres of Native American tribal and reservation lands. The Bureau of Reclamation manages 492 dams and 338 reservoirs, which provide water to much of the West. The US Geological Survey conducts geological and topographical research.
In total, the Department of the Interior plays a crucial role in conserving federal lands, forests, and parks; irrigating and supplying fresh water; protecting marine and land wildlife; and leasing lands for material, mineral, and energy production. With jurisdiction over such a wealth of resources, the Department of the Interior has been prone to scandal. In 1929, Department of the Interior secretary Albert Falls was convicted of bribery in the Teapot Dome scandal. In the administration of President George W. Bush, Department of the Interior officials often seemed ambivalent about the natural treasures that they were obliged to protect. In a December 2008 report, Department of the Interior inspector general Earl Devaney found unethical, wasteful, and corrupt behavior in the Minerals Management Service and other divisions of the Bush administration’s Department of the Interior.
The organization of the Department of the Interior has undergone changes over the years depending on government administrations and resource status. For example, following the devastating explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in 2010 that led to the deaths of several workers in addition to severe oil pollution of the Gulf of Mexico, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement was created to focus on the regulation of offshore energy production. At the same time, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was established to focus on the development of such offshore resources, including leasing. In 2018, a major reorganization effort began to coordinate the department's efforts according to more unified regions.
Bibliography
Eilperin, Juliet, and Darryl Fears. "Interior Plans to Move Thousands of Workers in the Biggest Reorganization in Its History." The Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/01/10/interior-plans-to-move-thousands-of-workers-in-the-biggest-reorganization-in-its-history/. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Green, Miranda. "Interior to Hold Largest Oil and Gas Lease Sale in US History." The Hill, 16 Feb. 2018, thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/374282-interior-announces-plans-for-largest-oil-and-gas-lease-sale-in-us. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
"A History of the Department of the Interior." Outside, 22 Feb. 2013, www.outsideonline.com/1859351/history-department-interior. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
"Reflecting America’s Rapid and Accelerating Shift to Clean Energy, Interior Department Announces Fewest Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sales in History in Proposed Final Program for 2024–2029." US Department of the Interior, 29 Sept. 2023, www.doi.gov/pressreleases/reflecting-americas-rapid-and-accelerating-shift-clean-energy-interior-department. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Sowards, Adam M. "Reckoning with Controversy: Interior's Legacy of Bad Behavior." High Country News, 3 Jan. 2018, www.hcn.org/articles/reckoning-with-history-interiors-legacy-of-bad-behavior. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.