Despite its name, the Department of the Interior has a different role from that of the interior ministries of other nations, which are usually responsible for police matters and internal security. In the United States, national security and immigration functions are performed by the Department of Homeland Security primarily and the Department of Justice secondarily. The Department of the Interior has often been humorously called "the Department of Everything Else" because of its broad range of responsibilities.[4]
In 1849, Walker stated in his annual report that several federal offices were placed in departments with which they had little to do. He noted that the United States General Land Office had little to do with the Treasury and also highlighted the Indian Affairs office, part of the Department of War, and the Patent Office, part of the Department of State. Walker argued that these and other bureaus should be brought together in a new Department of the Interior.[citation needed] A bill authorizing its creation of the department 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 (9 Stat. 395), the eve of President Zachary Taylor's inauguration, when the Senate voted 31 to 25 to create the department. Its passage was delayed by Democrats in Congress who were reluctant to create more patronage posts for the incoming Whig administration to fill. The first secretary of the interior was Thomas Ewing.
Several of the domestic concerns the department originally dealt with were gradually transferred to other departments. For example, the Department of Interior was responsible for water pollution control prior to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.[8] Other agencies became separate departments, such as the Bureau of Agriculture, which later became the Department of Agriculture. However, land and natural resource management, American Indian affairs, wildlife conservation, and territorial affairs remain the responsibilities of the Department of the Interior.
Controversiesedit
Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall was implicated in the Teapot Dome scandal of 1921. He was convicted of bribery in 1929, and served one year in prison, for his part in the controversy. A major factor in the scandal was a transfer of certain oil leases from the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy to that of the Department of the Interior, at Fall's behest.
Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt faced criticism for his alleged hostility to environmentalism, for 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". His 1983 resignation was prompted by a speech in which he said about his staff: "I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."[9][10]
Under the Administration of President George W. Bush, the Interior Department's maintenance backlog climbed from $5 billion to $8.7 billion, despite Bush's campaign pledges to eliminate it completely. Of the agency under Bush's leadership, Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney has cited a "culture of fear" and of "ethical failure." Devaney has also said, "Simply stated, short of a crime, anything goes at the highest levels of the Department of Interior."[11]
American Indiansedit
Within the Interior Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs handles some federal relations with American Indians, while others are handled by the Office of Special Trustee. The current acting assistant secretary for Indian affairs is Lawrence S. Roberts, an enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe in Wisconsin.
The department has been the subject of disputes over proper accounting for American Indian Trusts set up to track the income and distribution of monies that are generated by the trust and specific American Indian lands, which the government leases for fees to companies that extract oil, timber, minerals, and other resources. Several cases have sought an accounting of such funds from departments within the Interior and Treasury (such as the Minerals Management Service), in what has been a 15-year-old lawsuit. Some American Indian nations have also sued the government over water-rights issues and their treaties with the US. In 2010 Congress passed the Claims Settlement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-291), which provided $3.4 billion for the settlement of the Cobell v. Salazar class-action trust case and four American Indian water rights cases.[12][13]
On March 16, 2021, Deb Haaland, serving at that time as a member of Congress for New Mexico, took the oath of office as secretary, becoming the first American Indian to lead an executive department, and the third woman to lead the department.[14]
Operating unitsedit
The hierarchy of the U.S. Department of the Interior
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and International AffairsLogo of the National Invasive Species Council
Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance
Office of International Affairs
Office of Native Hawaiian Relations
Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment
Office of Policy Analysis
National Invasive Species Council
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, Finance, Performance and AcquisitionOffice of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Deputy Director, Michelle E. Warren, leading an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Office of Budget
Office of Financial Management
Office of Planning and Performance Management
Business Integration Office [administers the Financial and Business Management System (FBMS)]
Office of Acquisition and Property Management
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Capital and Diversity
Office of Human Resources
Office of Occupational Safety and Health
Office of Strategic Employee and Organizational Development
Office of Civil Rights
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology, Information and Business Services
Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution
Appraisal and Valuation Services Office
Interior Business Center
Office of Hearings and Appeals
Office of Facilities and Administrative Services
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Safety, Resources Protection and Emergency Services (DAS-PRE)
DOI Convocation Honor Award is the most prestigious recognition that can be granted by the department.
The following awards are presented at the Honor Awards Convocation:[15]
Safety and Health Award of Excellence & Aviation Safety Award
Distinguished Service Award
Citizen's Award for Bravery
Valor Award
Regionsedit
In 2018, DOI established 12 organizational regions to be used across the department. These superseded the previous 49 regions used across 8 agencies.[16]
^"Staffing" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
^"Departmental Overview" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
^GAO, "Federal Land Management: Observations on a Possible Move of the Forest Service into the Department of the Interior" July 3, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, February 11, 2009
^"History" August 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, National Park Service web page. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
^"U.S. Department of the Inteior: The Department of Everything Else". National Park Service. from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
^"Robert J Walker Secretary of the Treasury 1845-1849". Treasury Department. from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
^"History of the Department of the Interior". www.doi.gov. July 1, 2015. from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
^Elkins, Chuck (October 2013). "Transcript of "Behind the Scenes at the Creation of the EPA" Video" (PDF). EPA Alumni Association. (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
^, "Simpson's Contemporary Quotations" (1988) via bartleby.com and Wayback Machine.
^. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
^Warren, James, "A Victory for Native Americans?" February 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The Atlantic, 7 June 2010.
^Chavez, Aliyah (March 16, 2021). "Deb Haaland swearing in details announced". Indian Country Today. from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
^"Department of Interior Awards & Recognition". Department of Interior. September 12, 2019. from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^"Unified Interior Regional Boundaries". www.doi.gov. February 22, 2018. from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
Utley, Robert M. and Barry Mackintosh; The Department of Everything Else: Highlights of Interior History; Dept. of the Interior, Washington, D.C.; 1989
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Department of the Interior.
Works by United States Department of the Interior at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
The Department of Everything Else: Highlights of Interior History December 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
"Sex, Drug Use and Graft cited in Interior Department", The New York Times, September 10, 2008
February 15, 2024
united, states, department, interior, usdoi, redirects, here, precursor, united, states, division, investigation, statement, united, states, declaration, independence, executive, department, federal, government, responsible, management, conservation, most, fed. USDOI redirects here For the precursor to the FBI see United States Division of Investigation For the statement see United States Declaration of Independence The United States Department of the Interior DOI is an executive department of the U S federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources It also administers programs relating to Native Americans Alaska Natives Native Hawaiians territorial affairs and insular areas of the United States as well as programs related to historic preservation About 75 of federal public land is managed by the department with most of the remainder managed by the Department of Agriculture s Forest Service 3 The department was created on March 3 1849 It is headquartered at the Main Interior Building located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington D C United States Department of the InteriorSeal of the U S Department of the InteriorFlag of the U S Department of the InteriorMain Interior BuildingAgency overviewFormedMarch 3 1849 174 years ago 1849 03 03 TypeDepartmentJurisdictionU S federal governmentHeadquartersMain Interior Building1849 C Street NWWashington D C U S 2024038 53 40 N 77 02 33 W 38 89444 N 77 04250 W 38 89444 77 04250Employees67 026 2022 1 Annual budget 17 6 billion 2022 2 Agency executivesDeb Haaland SecretaryLaura Daniel Davis Acting Deputy SecretaryWebsiteDOI govThe department is headed by the secretary of the interior who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president s Cabinet The current secretary is Deb Haaland 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 428 national parks monuments historical sites etc through the National Park Service and 544 national wildlife refuges through the Fish and Wildlife Service Despite its name the Department of the Interior has a different role from that of the interior ministries of other nations which are usually responsible for police matters and internal security In the United States national security and immigration functions are performed by the Department of Homeland Security primarily and the Department of Justice secondarily The Department of the Interior has often been humorously called the Department of Everything Else because of its broad range of responsibilities 4 Contents 1 History 1 1 Formation of the department 1 2 Controversies 2 American Indians 3 Operating units 4 Awards 5 Regions 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksHistory editFormation of the department edit A department for domestic concern was first considered by the 1st 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 Polk s secretary of the treasury Robert J Walker became a vocal champion of creating the new department 5 6 7 In 1849 Walker stated in his annual report that several federal offices were placed in departments with which they had little to do He noted that the United States General Land Office had little to do with the Treasury and also highlighted the Indian Affairs office part of the Department of War and the Patent Office part of the Department of State Walker argued that these and other bureaus should be brought together in a new Department of the Interior citation needed A bill authorizing its creation of the department 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 9 Stat 395 the eve of President Zachary Taylor s inauguration when the Senate voted 31 to 25 to create the department Its passage was delayed by Democrats in Congress who were reluctant to create more patronage posts for the incoming Whig administration to fill The first secretary of the interior was Thomas Ewing Several of the domestic concerns the department originally dealt with were gradually transferred to other departments For example the Department of Interior was responsible for water pollution control prior to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency 8 Other agencies became separate departments such as the Bureau of Agriculture which later became the Department of Agriculture However land and natural resource management American Indian affairs wildlife conservation and territorial affairs remain the responsibilities of the Department of the Interior Controversies edit Secretary of the Interior Albert B Fall was implicated in the Teapot Dome scandal of 1921 He was convicted of bribery in 1929 and served one year in prison for his part in the controversy A major factor in the scandal was a transfer of certain oil leases from the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy to that of the Department of the Interior at Fall s behest Secretary of the Interior James G Watt faced criticism for his alleged hostility to environmentalism for 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 His 1983 resignation was prompted by a speech in which he said about his staff I have a black a woman two Jews and a cripple And we have talent 9 10 Under the Administration of President George W Bush the Interior Department s maintenance backlog climbed from 5 billion to 8 7 billion despite Bush s campaign pledges to eliminate it completely Of the agency under Bush s leadership Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney has cited a culture of fear and of ethical failure Devaney has also said Simply stated short of a crime anything goes at the highest levels of the Department of Interior 11 American Indians editWithin the Interior Department the Bureau of Indian Affairs handles some federal relations with American Indians while others are handled by the Office of Special Trustee The current acting assistant secretary for Indian affairs is Lawrence S Roberts an enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe in Wisconsin The department has been the subject of disputes over proper accounting for American Indian Trusts set up to track the income and distribution of monies that are generated by the trust and specific American Indian lands which the government leases for fees to companies that extract oil timber minerals and other resources Several cases have sought an accounting of such funds from departments within the Interior and Treasury such as the Minerals Management Service in what has been a 15 year old lawsuit Some American Indian nations have also sued the government over water rights issues and their treaties with the US In 2010 Congress passed the Claims Settlement Act of 2010 Public Law 111 291 which provided 3 4 billion for the settlement of the Cobell v Salazar class action trust case and four American Indian water rights cases 12 13 On March 16 2021 Deb Haaland serving at that time as a member of Congress for New Mexico took the oath of office as secretary becoming the first American Indian to lead an executive department and the third woman to lead the department 14 Operating units edit nbsp The hierarchy of the U S Department of the InteriorAssistant Secretary for Policy Management and Budget Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs nbsp Logo of the National Invasive Species CouncilOffice of Environmental Policy and Compliance Office of International Affairs Office of Native Hawaiian Relations Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment Office of Policy Analysis National Invasive Species Council Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget Finance Performance and Acquisition nbsp Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Deputy Director Michelle E Warren leading an awards ceremony in Washington D C Office of Budget Office of Financial Management Office of Planning and Performance Management Business Integration Office administers the Financial and Business Management System FBMS Office of Acquisition and Property Management Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Capital and Diversity Office of Human Resources Office of Occupational Safety and Health Office of Strategic Employee and Organizational Development Office of Civil Rights Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology Information and Business Services Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution Appraisal and Valuation Services Office Interior Business Center Office of Hearings and Appeals Office of Facilities and Administrative Services Office of the Chief Information Officer Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Safety Resources Protection and Emergency Services DAS PRE Office of Emergency Management OEM Office of Law Enforcement and Security OLES Office of Wildland Fire Office of Aviation Services OAS Interagency Borderlands Coordinator Deputy Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources Revenue Management Office of Natural Resources Revenue Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks nbsp Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks Michael Bean third from left at the dedication of San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site nbsp Eastern entry station to Yosemite National Park National Park Service nbsp Fish and Wildlife Service personnel in Texas United States Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management Office of the Chief Financial Officer OCFO Office of the Chief Information Officer OCIO Office of Human Capital Management OHCM Office of Planning and Policy Analysis OPPA Office of Facilities Environmental and Cultural Resources OFECR Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development IEED Office of Indian Gaming OIG Office of Self Governance OSG nbsp A Bureau of Indian Affairs firefighter at the La Jolla Indian Reservation Bureau of Indian Affairs BIA Office of Indian Services OIS Office of Field Operations OFO Office of Justice Services OJS Office of Trust Services OTS nbsp 2016 map of Bureau of Indian Education schools Bureau of Indian Education BIE Office of External Affairs Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs OCLA Office of Public Affairs OPA Office of Federal Acknowledgment OFA Office of Regulatory Management ORM Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management nbsp A Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study Area in northern Alaska Bureau of Land Management Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Assistant Secretary for Water and Science United States Geological Survey Bureau of Reclamation Central Utah Project Completion Act Office Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Office of Insular Affairs Office of International Affairs Ocean Great Lakes and Coastal Activities Program Office Solicitor Office of the Solicitor SOL Office of the Inspector General OIG Office of General Counsel Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Office of Investigations Assistant Inspector General for Audits Inspections and Evaluations Office of Audits Inspections and Evaluations Assistant Inspector General for Management Office of Management Associate Inspector General for External Affairs Associate Inspector General for Whistleblower Protection Strategy Management Office Associate Inspector General for Communications Chief Information Officer Special Trustee for American Indians Federal Executive Boards Interior Museum National Indian Gaming Commission NIGC Awards editDOI Convocation Honor Award is the most prestigious recognition that can be granted by the department The following awards are presented at the Honor Awards Convocation 15 Safety and Health Award of Excellence amp Aviation Safety Award Distinguished Service Award Citizen s Award for Bravery Valor AwardRegions editIn 2018 DOI established 12 organizational regions to be used across the department These superseded the previous 49 regions used across 8 agencies 16 See also edit nbsp United States portal nbsp Politics portalAmerica s Great Outdoors Initiative Environmental policy of the United States USA govReferences edit Staffing PDF Archived PDF from the original on May 25 2022 Retrieved May 25 2022 Departmental Overview PDF Archived PDF from the original on May 16 2022 Retrieved May 25 2022 GAO Federal Land Management Observations on a Possible Move of the Forest Service into the Department of the Interior Archived July 3 2017 at the Wayback Machine February 11 2009 History Archived August 14 2015 at the Wayback Machine National Park Service web page Retrieved May 20 2010 U S Department of the Inteior The Department of Everything Else National Park Service Archived from the original on June 17 2021 Retrieved February 24 2023 Robert J Walker Secretary of the Treasury 1845 1849 Treasury Department Archived from the original on October 3 2022 Retrieved October 3 2022 History of the Department of the Interior www doi gov July 1 2015 Archived from the original on March 17 2022 Retrieved February 24 2023 Elkins Chuck October 2013 Transcript of Behind the Scenes at the Creation of the EPA Video PDF EPA Alumni Association Archived PDF from the original on April 12 2019 Retrieved August 20 2018 556 James G Watt US Secretary of the Interior Simpson s Contemporary Quotations 1988 via bartleby com and Wayback Machine RMOA Document Archived from the original on January 8 2009 Retrieved October 29 2008 Cart Julie Bush legacy leaves uphill climb for U S parks Los Angeles Times January 25 2009 Curtis Mary C Obama Hails Passage of Settlement for Native Americans Black Farmers Archived February 1 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Huffington Post November 30 2010 Accessed December 1 2011 Warren James A Victory for Native Americans Archived February 27 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Atlantic 7 June 2010 Chavez Aliyah March 16 2021 Deb Haaland swearing in details announced Indian Country Today Archived from the original on March 17 2021 Retrieved March 17 2021 Department of Interior Awards amp Recognition Department of Interior September 12 2019 Archived from the original on May 22 2021 Retrieved June 19 2021 Unified Interior Regional Boundaries www doi gov February 22 2018 Archived from the original on August 21 2021 Retrieved January 29 2023 Further reading editBlack Megan The Global Interior Mineral Frontiers and American Power Harvard University Press 2018 Utley Robert M and Barry Mackintosh The Department of Everything Else Highlights of Interior History Dept of the Interior Washington D C 1989External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Department of the Interior U S Department of the Interior records at the American Heritage Center of the University of Wyoming Official website nbsp Department of the Interior on USAspending gov Department of the Interior in the Federal Register Works by United States Department of the Interior at LibriVox public domain audiobooks nbsp The Department of Everything Else Highlights of Interior History Archived December 23 2005 at the Wayback Machine Sex Drug Use and Graft cited in Interior Department The New York Times September 10 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United States Department of the Interior amp oldid 1205924017, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
