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U.S. Department of the Interior

From Ballotpedia
Department of the Interior
US-DeptOfTheInterior-Seal.svg
Secretary:Doug Burgum
Year created:1849
Official website:DOI.gov



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Executive Departments of the United States

Executive Departments
Department of StateDepartment of the TreasuryDepartment of DefenseDepartment of JusticeDepartment of the InteriorDepartment of AgricultureDepartment of CommerceDepartment of LaborDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDepartment of Housing and Urban DevelopmentDepartment of TransportationDepartment of EnergyDepartment of EducationDepartment of Veterans AffairsDepartment of Homeland Security

Department Secretaries
Marco RubioScott BessentPete HegsethPam BondiDoug BurgumBrooke RollinsLori Chavez-DeRemerRobert F. Kennedy Jr.Scott TurnerHoward LutnickSean DuffyChris WrightLinda McMahonDoug CollinsKristi Noem

TheDepartment of the Interior is a United States executive department established in 1849. The department was formed to protect and manage the nation's natural resources and cultural heritage.[1]

Doug Burgum is the U.S. secretary of the interior.Click here to learn more about his confirmation process.

The department oversees various federal agencies including: the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),U.S. Bureau of Land Management, theU.S. National Park Service (NPS), theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and theU.S. Geological Survey.[2]

History

The Office of the Interior was formed in 1849 to protect and manage the nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage. The following is a list of important dates in the department's history:[3]

  • 1869: Hayden expedition began geological survey of Western territories
  • 1872: Yellowstone National Park established by Congress
  • 1879: U.S. Geological Survey established
  • 1903: First National Wildlife Refuge established at Pelican Island, Florida
  • 1916: National Park Service established by President Woodrow Wilson
  • 1940: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created from agency merging
  • 1982: Minerals Management Service established for mineral revenue collection and offshore land management

Mission

The Department of the Interior website states the mission:

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities.[4]
—Department of the Interior[1]

Leadership

Doug Burgum is the U.S. secretary of the interior.

Secretaries of the Interior Full History
Secretary of the InteriorYears in officeNominated byConfirmation vote
Thomas Ewing1849-1850Zachary Taylor
Thomas M.T. McKennan1850-1850Millard Fillmore
Alexander H.H. Stuart1850-1853Millard Fillmore
Robert McClelland1853-1857Franklin Pierce
Jacob Thompson1857-1861James Buchanan
Caleb B. Smith1861-1862Abraham Lincoln
John P. Usher1863-1865Andrew Johnson
James Harlan1865-1866Andrew Johnson
Orville H. Browning1866-1869Andrew Johnson
Jacob D. Cox1869-1870Ulysses S. Grant
Columbus Delano1870-1875Ulysses S. Grant
Zachariah Chandler1875-1877Ulysses S. Grant
Carl Schurz1877-1881Rutherford B. Hayes
Samuel J. Kirkwood1881-1882James Garfield
Henry M. Teller1882-1885Chester A. Arthur
Lucius Q.C. Lamar, II1885-1888Grover Cleveland
William F. Vilas1888-1889Grover Cleveland
John W. Noble1889-1893Benjamin Harrison
M. Hoke Smith1893-1896Grover Cleveland
David R. Francis1896-1897Grover Cleveland
Cornelius N. Bliss1897-1899William McKinley
Ethan A. Hitchcock1899-1907Theodore Roosevelt
James R. Garfield1907-1909Theodore Roosevelt
Richard A. Ballinger1909-1911William Howard Taft
Walter L. Fisher1911-1913William Howard Taft
Franklin K. Lane1913-1920Woodrow Wilson
John B. Payne1920-1921Woodrow Wilson
Albert B. Fall1921-1923Warren G. Harding
Hubert Work1923-1928Calvin Coolidge
Roy Owen West1928-1929Calvin Coolidge
Ray Lyman Wilbur1929-1933Herbert Hoover
Harold L. Ickes1933-1946Franklin D. Roosevelt
Julius A. Krug1946-1949Harry Truman
Oscar L. Chapman1949-1953Harry Truman
Douglas McKay1953-1956Dwight Eisenhower
Fred A. Seaton1956-1961Dwight Eisenhower
Steward L. Udall1961-1969John F. Kennedy
Walter J. Hickel1969-1970Richard Nixon
Rogers C.B. Morton1971-1975Gerald Ford
Stanley K. Hathaway1975Gerald Ford
Thomas S. Kleppe1975-1977Gerald Ford
Cecil D. Andrus1977-1981Jimmy CarterN/A
James G. Watt1981-1983Ronald Reagan83-12
William P. Clark1983-1985Ronald Reagan71-18
Donald P. Hodel1985-1989Ronald Reagan93-1
Manuel Lujan, Jr.1989-1993George H.W. Bush100-0
Bruce E. Babbitt1993-2001Bill ClintonN/A
Gale A. Norton2001-2006George W. Bush75-24
Dirk A. Kempthorne2006-2009George W. BushN/A
Ken Salazar2009-2013Barack ObamaN/A
Sally Jewell2013-2017Barack Obama87-11
Ryan Zinke2017-2019Donald Trump68-31
David Bernhardt2019-2021Donald Trump56-41
Debra Haaland2021-2025Joe Biden51-40
Walter Cruickshank (acting)2025-2025Donald Trump-
Doug Burgum2025-presentDonald Trump80-17

Note: Votes marked "N/A" represent voice votes or unrecorded votes. Missing votes will be filled as they are researched.


Organization

Administrative State
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See also

External links

Footnotes

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U.S. Executive Branch
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Related legislative branch agencies
Dissolved agencies
Glossary
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The Administrative State
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Pillars
Reporting
Laws
Administrative Procedure ActAntiquities ActCivil Service Reform ActClayton Antitrust ActCommunications Act of 1934Congressional Review ActElectronic Freedom of Information ActFederal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938Federal Housekeeping StatuteFederal Reserve ActFederal Trade Commission Act of 1914Freedom of Information ActGovernment in the Sunshine ActIndependent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952Information Quality ActInterstate Commerce ActNational Labor Relations ActPaperwork Reduction ActPendleton ActPrivacy Act of 1974Regulatory Flexibility ActREINS ActREINS Act (Wisconsin)Securities Act of 1933Securities Exchange Act of 1934Sherman Antitrust ActSmall Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness ActTruth in Regulating ActUnfunded Mandates Reform Act
Cases
Abbott Laboratories v. GardnerA.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United StatesAssociation of Data Processing Service Organizations v. CampAuer v. RobbinsChevron v. Natural Resources Defense CouncilCitizens to Preserve Overton Park v. VolpeFederal Trade Commission (FTC) v. Standard Oil Company of CaliforniaField v. ClarkFood and Drug Administration v. Brown and Williamson Tobacco CorporationHumphrey's Executor v. United StatesImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) v. ChadhaJ.W. Hampton Jr. & Company v. United StatesLucia v. SECMarshall v. Barlow'sMassachusetts v. Environmental Protection AgencyMistretta v. United StatesNational Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. SebeliusNational Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning CompanyNational Labor Relations Board v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.Panama Refining Co. v. RyanSecurities and Exchange Commission v. Chenery CorporationSkidmore v. Swift & Co.United States v. LopezUnited States v. Western Pacific Railroad Co.Universal Camera Corporation v. National Labor Relations BoardVermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense CouncilWayman v. SouthardWeyerhaeuser Company v. United States Fish and Wildlife ServiceWhitman v. American Trucking AssociationsWickard v. FilburnWiener v. United States
Terms
Adjudication (administrative state)Administrative judgeAdministrative lawAdministrative law judgeAdministrative stateArbitrary-or-capricious testAuer deferenceBarrier to entryBootleggers and BaptistsChevron deference (doctrine)Civil servantCivil serviceCode of Federal RegulationsCodify (administrative state)Comment periodCompliance costsCongressional RecordCoordination (administrative state)Deference (administrative state)Direct and indirect costs (administrative state)Enabling statuteEx parte communication (administrative state)Executive agencyFederal lawFederal RegisterFederalismFinal ruleFormal rulemakingFormalism (law)Functionalism (law)Guidance (administrative state)Hybrid rulemakingIncorporation by referenceIndependent federal agencyInformal rulemakingJoint resolution of disapproval (administrative state)Major ruleNegotiated rulemakingNondelegation doctrineOIRA prompt letterOrganic statutePragmatism (law)Precautionary principlePromulgateProposed rulePublication rulemakingRegulatory budgetRegulatory captureRegulatory dark matterRegulatory impact analysisRegulatory policy officerRegulatory reform officerRegulatory reviewRent seekingRetrospective regulatory reviewRisk assessment (administrative state)RulemakingSeparation of powersSignificant regulatory actionSkidmore deferenceStatutory authoritySubstantive law and procedural lawSue and settleSunset provisionUnified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory ActionsUnited States CodeUnited States Statutes at Large
Bibliography
Agencies
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