In 1789, Congress established three Executive Departments: State or Foreign Affairs, Treasury, and War. It also appointed an Attorney General and a Postmaster General to handle various government tasks. The concept of creating a separate department for domestic matters was suggested multiple times before the Department of the Interior was finally established on March 3, 1849. This occurred through the passage of a bill during the last day of the 30th Congress. The Department of the Interior’s primary responsibility is overseeing internal affairs within the nation.
The Interior Department had various responsibilities to advance the nation’s internal growth and safeguard the welfare of its citizens. Some of these tasks comprised constructing the water system for the national capital, relocating emancipated slaves in Haiti, investigating the western frontier, supervising the District of Columbia jail, regulating territorial governments, administering hospitals and universities, overseeing public parks, and managing affairs related to Indians, public lands, patents, and pensions.
Yellowstone is established by Congress as the first National Park in 1872. Subsequently, the U.S. Geological Survey is founded in 1879 and the Bureau of Reclamation is created in 1902 to construct dams and aqueducts in western areas. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt designates Pelican Island in Florida as the initial National Wildlife Refuge. Furthermore, the Census Bureau is transferred to the Department of Commerce.
In 1902, the Bureau of Reclamation commenced its efforts to construct dams and aqueducts in the western United States. President Theodore Roosevelt then established the first National Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island, Florida in 1903. Concurrently, the Department of Commerce became home to the Census Bureau. Eventually, in 1935, the completion of Hoover Dam marked a significant accomplishment for the Bureau of Reclamation.
In 1940, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is established by merging the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey. Then in 1946, there is a merger between the General Land Office and Grazing Service of the Interior. Finally, in 1977, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is formed to oversee state regulation of strip coal mining and environmental restoration.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, as the nation’s primary conservation agency, is responsible for managing a majority of our publicly owned lands and natural resources. Since its establishment in 1849, the Department has overseen diverse programs such as Indian Affairs, land grants administration, enhancement of historic western emigrant routes, boundary marking, and geological resource research.
The mission of the Department is to
- to encourage and provide for the appropriate management, preservation, and operation of the Nation’s public lands and natural resources for use and enjoyment both now and in the future;
- to carry out related scientific research and investigations in support of these objectives;
- to develop and use resources in an environmentally sound manner, and provide an equitable return on these resources to the American taxpayer;
- to carry out trust responsibilities of the U.S. Government with respect to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The Department of the Interior collects income from different sources, such as renting natural gas and oil resources onshore and offshore, using Federal lands for coal mining, timber harvesting, and grazing, and charging fees for recreational activities. It also receives funds from the federal government which are distributed among its departments. Every year, the Department combines these departmental budgets with its own budget to create a consolidated budget that is presented to an appropriations committee. Once approved, the Department receives the allocated funds. The following is a simplified summary of the Department’s budget.
The Department of the Interior is comprised of various bureaus and offices, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Minerals Management Service, the National Park Service, the Office of Surface Mining, the Office of Insular Affairs, and the Office of the Secretary. Gale Norton was appointed as Secretary of U.S. Department of Interior in January 2001 and received bipartisan support from the U.S. Senate. She is known for her advocacy for environmental policies and lifelong dedication to conservation and public service.
Secretary Norton, the inaugural female leader of a federal agency established 151 years ago, previously held the position of Colorado’s Attorney General from 1991 to 1999. Her responsibilities encompassed representing nearly all of Colorado’s state government agencies and presenting cases before esteemed courts like the U.S. Supreme Court. Furthermore, she regularly provided testimonies for congressional committees.
Norton held multiple positions related to the environment and water policy. She served as Chair of the Environment Committee for the National Association of Attorneys General and was appointed by President George Bush to the Western Water Policy Commission. Norton also worked as Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Senior Attorney for the Mountain States Legal Foundation from 1979 to 1983.
Norton graduated from the University of Denver in 1975 with high honors. In 1978, she obtained her law degree with distinction from the same university. As Secretary of the Interior, she has the responsibility of overseeing approximately 500 million acres of federal lands. These lands encompass the entire National Park System and vast areas of federal land primarily located in the western regions of the country.
The Secretary is in charge of protecting endangered species and managing national wildlife refuges. They also work together with Indian Tribal leaders to guarantee that reservations receive adequate economic, educational, and social services.
