Official Name: U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
Mission Statement" The Mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our Nation's natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian Tribes and our commitments to island communities.
Director: Dirk Kempthorne
Number of Employees: 73,000 paid employees and 200,000 volunteers
Budget: $10.61 Billion (FY 2008) +3% since FY '07
(Dollars in Millions)
| |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| |
Actual |
Estimate |
Budget |
| Total Discretionary Budget Authority |
10,733 |
10,332 |
10,610 |
| Total Discretionary Outlays |
11,031 |
10,932 |
10,944 |
| Total Mandatory Outlays |
(1,721) |
225 |
(152) |
| Total Outlays |
9,310 |
11,157 |
10,972 |
FY2008 Budget
Best Known For:
- Preserving national parks, monuments, recreational sites, battlefields, wildlife refugees, and other cultural and recreational sites
- Managing relationships with Indian tribes
- Scientific research (conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey) including, but not limited to, geology, biology, water, producing maps, and monitoring and assessing water quality.
- Protecting threatened and endangered species
Fun Facts:
- DOI manages 500 million acres of surface land, equal to about 1/5 of land in the U.S.
Hot Button Issues:
- Climate change
- Natural disasters
- Endangered species
History:
1849 - Creation of the Home Department consolidating the General Land Office (Department of the Treasury), the Patent Office (Department of State), the Indian Affairs Office (War Department) and the military pension offices (War and Navy Departments). Subsequently, Interior functions expand to include the census, regulation of territorial governments, exploration of the western wilderness, and management of the D.C. jail and water system.
1850-1857 - Interior's Mexican Boundary Commission establishes the international boundary with Mexico.
1869 - Interior began its geological survey of the western Territories with the Hayden expedition.
1872 - Congress establishes Yellowstone as the first National Park.
1879 - Creation of the U.S. Geological Survey.
1884 - Interior's Bureau of Labor is established (becomes the Department of Labor in 1888).
1887-1889 - The Interstate Commerce Commission is established in Interior. The Dawes Act authorizes allotments to Indians.
1903 - President Theodore Roosevelt establishes the first National Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island, Florida.
1910 - The Bureau of Mines is created to promote mine safety and minerals technology.
1916 - President Wilson signed legislation creating The National Park Service.
1920 - The Mineral Leasing Act establishes the government's right to rental payments and royalties on oil, gas, and minerals production.
1934 - The Taylor Grazing Act is enacted to regulate economic uses of public lands. The Indian Reorganization Act abolishes the allotment system established in 1887, forms tribal governments, and affirms the Secretary's trust responsibilities. Oversight of Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico is transferred to Interior.
1935 - The Bureau of Reclamation completes construction of Hoover Dam.
1940 - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is created from the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey.
1950-1951 - Interior assumes jurisdiction over Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
1977 - The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is established to oversee state regulation of strip coal mining and repair of environmental damage.
1980 - The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act is enacted adding 47 million acres to the National Park System and 54 acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Key Agencies:
Videos:
Building of Boulder Damn, Colorado