Interior, Department of the, is an executive department of the United States government that works to conserve and develop the nation’s natural resources. It also manages the country’s national parks and administers programs for American Indians who live on reservations.
The secretary of the interior, a member of the president’s Cabinet, heads the department. The secretary is appointed by the president with the approval of the U.S. Senate. The department’s website at http://www.doi.gov presents information on its activities.
Functions.
The Department of the Interior works to conserve the nation’s mineral, water, wildlife, and cultural resources and to protect the environment. It manages hundreds of millions of acres of federal land, including national parks, national monuments, recreation areas, and federal wildlife refuges.
The department also controls the development of natural resources on federal land and in offshore areas. It sells individuals and private companies the right to use federal land for grazing, logging, mining, and other commercial purposes. It also leases federal offshore areas for mining and for drilling for oil and natural gas. In addition, the department helps manage and protect water rescources in the Western States. It administers programs throughout the nation for restoring land after strip (surface) mining.
On Indian reservations, the Interior Department manages law enforcement, welfare, education, and other programs. It also serves as the trustee for the Indians’ tribal lands. Outside the 50 U.S. states, the department helps administer American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and other territories and possessions of the United States.
History.
The Department of the Interior was established in 1849. At the time, it was sometimes known as the Home Department. It took over many duties that had been performed by other federal departments and agencies. The law creating the department transferred to it the General Land Office, the Office of Indian Affairs, and the Pension Office. The department also received such duties as conducting the U.S. census and issuing patents, jobs that were later transferred to the Department of Commerce.
Over the years, Congress gradually changed the role of the department from that of general housekeeper for the federal government to that of guardian of the country’s natural resources. Congress created other executive departments and independent agencies to take over many of the duties of the Interior Department.
