U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), created in 1849, is the "nation's principal conservation agency" with its mission "to protect America's treasures for future generations, provide access to our nation's natural and cultural heritage, offer recreation opportunities, honor our trust responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives and our responsibilities to island communities, conduct scientific research, provide wise stewardship of energy and mineral resources, foster sound use of land and water resources, and conserve and protect fish and wildlife," its website states.

Federal coal leasing
For more details, see the article Federal coal leasing.

The Department of the Interior controls about a third of U.S. coal reserves, administered through the federal coal leasing program of the Bureau of Land Management. Federal coal is concentrated mainly west of the Mississippi. Most of the coal leased in the key Powder River Basin is federally owned.

The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended, give the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) responsibility for coal leasing on about 570 million acres of BLM, national forest and other Federal lands, as well as private lands where the mineral rights have been retained by the Federal Government. The BLM is charged with assuing that the development of coal resources is done in an environmentally sound manner and is in the best interests of the Nation.

Regulations that govern the BLM's coal leasing program are in Title 43, Groups 3000 and 3400 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR is also available on-line from the Government Printing Office (www.access.gpo.gov).

Key personnel
See links to DOI key personnel biographical profiles (Last Updated October 24, 2006).


 * Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior
 * P. Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary
 * David Bernhardt, Solicitor of the Interior
 * Tom Weimer, Assistant Secretary, Policy Management and Budget
 * Vacant, Assistant Secretary, Fish, Wildlife and Parks
 * C. Stephen Allred, Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management
 * Mark Limbaugh, Assistant Secretary, Water and Science
 * Vacant, Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs
 * Mary A. Bomar, Director, National Park Service
 * Dale Hall, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
 * Kathleen Clarke, Director, Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
 * Brent Wahlquist, Acting Director, Office of Surface Mining
 * Mark D. Myers, Director, U.S. Geological Survey
 * Johnnie Burton, Director, Minerals Management Service
 * Robert W. Johnson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
 * Ross Swimmer, Special Trustee for American Indians

Organization

 * Bureau of Indian Affairs
 * Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
 * Bureau of Reclamation
 * Minerals Management Service
 * National Park Service
 * Office of Surface Mining
 * U.S. Fish and Wildlife
 * U.S. Geological Survey

Initiatives

 * Cooperative Conservation
 * Healthy Forests Initiative
 * Improving National Parks
 * National Energy Plan
 * Take Pride in America
 * Water 2025: "Preventing Crisis and Conflict in the West"

Contact details
U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240 Telephone: 202-208-3100 E-Mail: webteam AT ios.doi.gov URL: http://www.doi.gov/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
 * Cheney Energy Task Force
 * Drue Pearce
 * Energy Stewardship Alliance
 * Environmental Protection Agency
 * Gale A. Norton, former Director (2001-2006)
 * Gasoline for America's Security Act of 2005 (resource impact)
 * Julie A. MacDonald
 * mining industry
 * National Energy Policy
 * Natural Resources Defense Council
 * oil industry
 * water wars

External resources

 * DOI History.
 * United States Department of the Interior in the Wikipedia.

External articles

 * "UPDATE 2-Bush picks Idaho's Kempthorne for Interior," Reuters, March 16, 2006.
 * "Interior Officials' Ties to Oil Probed. Federal investigators probe Interior Department officials' ties to oil, gas contracts," Associated Press (CBS News), December 30, 2006.
 * Aimee Curl, "IG: Interior’s failure to act on royalty mistake 'a jaw-dropping example of bureaucratic bungling'," Federal Times, January 18, 2007.
 * "Industry groups file lawsuit over polar bear rule," Associated Press, August 28, 2008.