INTERIOR DEPARTMENT
The Interior Department is a federal agency
responsible for U.S. natural resources and for
land owned by the federal government. The
department fulfills this responsibility by prom-
ulgating and enforcing numerous regulations
concerning natural resources and public lands.
The head of the department is the secretary of
the interior, who sits on the president’s cabinet
and reports directly to the president.
The Department of the Interior was created
by Congress in 1849 (9 Stat. 395 [43 U.S.C.A.
§ 1451]). Its original duties included supervision
of all mining in the United States, the General
Land Office, the Office of Indian Affairs, the
Pension Office, the Patent Office, the District of
Columbia penitentiary, the U.S. census, and
accounts for federal court officers. These agen-
cies and duties had little in common except that
their focus was within U.S. borders, and they
were out of place in other departments.
As a result of the continuing search for
streamlined organization in government, the
Department of the Interior eventually dropped a
number of its original duties and developed an
emphasis on natural resources. The department
has retained responsibility for mining, federal
lands, and American Indian issues. Over the
years, it has added several offices and bureaus to
help fulfill its responsibilities.
The chief functions of the Department of
the Interior include efforts to conserve and
develop mineral and water resources; to con-
serve, develop, and utilize fish and wildlife
resources; to coordinate federal and state recre-
ation programs; to preserve and administer sce-
nic and historic areas; to operate the Job Corps
Conservation Centers and Youth and Young
Adult Conservation Corps Camps, and other
youth training programs; to irrigate arid lands;
to manage hydroelectric systems; to provide
social and economic services to U.S. territories;
and to provide programs and services to Native
Americans.
The Department of the Interior contains
several different offices, departments, and
bureaus. The Office of the Secretary includes the
Offices of the Deputy Secretary, Assistant Secre-
taries, and Inspector General. The inspector
general is charged with coordinating and super-
vising interior audits and with performing
inspections to detect FRAUD and abuse. In addi-
tion, the inspector general is responsible for
supervising the financial activities of U.S. terri-
tories such as Guam, American Samoa, and the
Virgin Islands. The Office of Hearings and
Appeals is also contained within the Office of
the Secretary. Persons involved in disputes with
the Department of the Interior may have their
cases heard at this office.
The hands-on work of the department is per-
formed by several bureaus and services. The
Bureau of Reclamation is devoted to the manage-
ment of water resources. The Bureau of Land
Management is in charge of public lands and
resources. The U.S. Geological Survey exists to
draw a wide variety of maps and to examine and
classify public land structures and mineral
resources. The Minerals Management Service
assesses the value of minerals and supervises
mineral recovery. The Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement is charged mainly
with the operation of a nationwide program on
coal mining. The U.S. Bureau of Mines researches
mining issues in order to find the best technology
for extracting, processing, using, and recycling
non-fuel mineral resources. The National Biolog-
ical Survey conducts research to promote the
sound management of plant and animal life. The
National Park Service is dedicated to the preser-
vation of national parks, monuments, scenic
parkways, preserves, trails, riverways, seashores,
lakeshores, and recreation areas. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service is devoted primarily to the
conservation and enhancement of the nation’s
fish and wildlife resources.
One controversial function of the depart-
ment is the oversight of Indian affairs. The
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) performs a num-
ber of functions that have to do with Native
American issues. The Department of the Inte-
rior played a dominant role in the drafting of
tribal constitutions during the nineteenth cen-
tury. During the twentieth century, the Bureau
of Indian Affairs continued its control over
Indian tribes by insisting on review and
approval powers over amendments to tribal
constitutions.
The BIA’s management of an Indian land
