Department of the Interior
Departmental Manual
Effective Date: 05/03/96
Series: Organization
Part 135: Bureau of Land Management
Chapter 3: National Organization
Originating Office: Bureau of Land Management
135 DM 3
3.1 National Organization. The national organization consists of the Headquarters Office and national centers.
3.2 Headquarters Office (HQ Office). The role, structure, and organization of the HQ Office are described in the following paragraphs.
A. Role of HQ Office. The role of the HQ Office is as follows:
(1) Strategic Direction -- Identifies/articulates the critical BLM missions, priority program efforts, and the essence of the BLM's activities, including where the BLM is going to be in 1 to 5 years, and how various activities fit into that movement. The HQ Office maintains and refines the Corporate Agenda and the BLM Vision Statement, prepares the BLM Strategic Plan and Performance Plans under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), and develops strategic analyses and action plans, budgets, and guidance documents that articulate the goals and objectives of the BLM and directions for the future.
(2) Policy Leadership -- Initiates efforts in developing, revising and refining BLM policies, and resolving policy issues whether the source is external or internal. The HQ Office has the lead, using field office involvement, in developing and preparing BLM policy statements and documents that explain how policies will be implemented. The HQ Office is responsible for approving and signing all final policy statements/documents. The HQ Office facilitates the consistent implementation of policy by the field, especially among State Offices, by communicating with the field, and through evaluation and assessment of policy implementation. The HQ Office maintains subject-matter expertise in the core processes of the BLM, provides issue management, and serves as an advocate to enhance the ability of BLM State organizations to carry out programs/initiatives. The HQ Office provides support to the Secretary's Office in Departmentwide or BLM-related matters and/or for Department policy development or analysis projects.
(3) Communications -- Communicates the BLM policies, needs, and accomplishments at the national level to the media, national organizations and partners, and communicates the Administration, Secretarial and BLM initiatives to the field organization. The HQ Office provides the interface between the interdisciplinary-oriented field management and the program-oriented external customers and stakeholders.
(4) Legislative Involvement -- Facilitates legislative and regulatory changes needed to accomplish and/or facilitate accomplishment of the BLM mission. The HQ Office works with external groups to identify problems requiring legislative solutions or changes in regulations; prepares testimony and witnesses to testify before congressional committees, and works with congressional committees and staffs on legislative issues affecting BLM functions; and drafts regulations, using substantive participation from field offices in these efforts. The HQ Office leads BLM efforts to respond to new Administrative, political, and statutory direction impacting the BLM.
(5) Budget -- Accomplishes Bureauwide budget resource acquisition and allocation of funds within the BLM. The HQ Office formulates, presents, and defends the BLM budget request to the Secretary, Office of Management and Budget, and the Congress, and provides the allocation of funds among the major operating components of the BLM for budget execution.
(6) Administrative Leadership -- Provides leadership in developing and implementing Bureauwide general management and business practices of the BLM. The HQ Office facilitates the implementation of managerial and business practices and systems common throughout the BLM, interprets administrative policy within the BLM, and facilitates the consistent implementation of policy by communicating with the field and through evaluation and assessment of administrative process implementation.
(7) Interagency Coordination -- Maintains national and international level coordination with other bureaus and agencies, including working on interagency task forces.
(8) Process improvement -- Encourages and stimulates process re-engineering and improvement, customer service improvement, improving methods of doing business, and developing common Bureauwide processes which can be used in multiple programs.
(9) Performance Evaluation and Accountability -- Is responsible for evaluation of Bureauwide program effectiveness and accountability of field managers for program policy implementation using, when possible, performance measures. The HQ Office ensures the preparation of performance reports such as those required by GPRA and CFO Act and if necessary, takes corrective action to ensure that specified performance indicators or measures are met.
(10) Routine Functions -- Responds to correspondence to the Director, or referred from the offices of the Secretary or President; handles Bureauwide administrative actions, e.g., major procurement, higher-level personnel actions, etc.; conducts special reviews/administrative inquiries as directed by the Secretary's Office; and conducts internal support operations to maintain the HQ Office organization and infrastructure.
B. HQ Office Structure. The HQ Office is composed of the Directorate, groups, and teams.
(1) Directorate. The BLM Directorate includes the Director; the Principal Deputy Director; the Deputy Director (Associate); the Special Assistant/Counsel; the Assistant Directors; the Director, Office of IRM/Modernization; and the Director, Office of Fire and Aviation. The Director; the Principal Deputy Director; the Deputy Director (Associate); the Assistant Directors; the Director, Office of IRM/Modernization; and the Director, Office of Fire and Aviation share BLM-wide authority for direction and management of BLM programs and exercise line management authority and responsibility. The Assistant Directors support the Director by providing leadership in management; program direction; and analyses for the programmatic, functional, and systematic support components of the BLM.
(2) Groups. Headquarters employees are assigned for administrative purposes to a group, led by a group administrator who is the supervisor of record for members of the group. The group is composed of individuals with similar training/specialties (for example wildlife biologists, foresters, budget analysts) which facilitates professional networking. In addition, group composition is also based on achieving a supervisor to employee ratio of 1:15 wherever possible. The group names reflect the specialties of its members (for example, the "Budget and Finance Group"), and the group provides an identified source for initial contact with the HQ Office.
(3) Teams. Work is performed by teams which are generally based on processes (for example budget, use authorizations, and compliance) and/or on cross-cutting functions (such as ecosystem coordination, regulatory management, and headquarters services). Teams operate under the oversight of the Corporate Team and under the direction of a specific Deputy/Assistant Director or Office Director. On an interim basis as they work toward the goal of operating as self-directed teams, each team has a team leader. Teams operate under charters, which can be modified as appropriate with the approval of the appropriate Directorate official.
C. HQ Office Organization. The HQ Office organization includes the Office of the Director, the Assistant Directorates, the Office of IRM/Modernization, and the Office of Fire and Aviation.
(1) Office of the Director. The Office of the Director is composed of the following:
(a) The Director, as Chief Executive of the BLM, formulates BLM policy within limits delegated by the Secretary of the Interior and directs all activities of the BLM. He/she advises and assists the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management on national public land and resources management and on all programs within the purview of BLM responsibilities. He/she maintains relationships with other Federal agencies, the Congress, Native American authorities, State and local authorities, and private groups. The Director may have Special Assistants/Counselors who receive their assignments directly from him/her, advise the Director on specific areas of BLM focus, may act as the Director's personal representative, and are primarily involved in matters that are nonrecurrent and sensitive in nature.
(b) The Principal Deputy Director shares with the Director the responsibility for all BLM functions and in his/her absence acts as Director.
(c) The Deputy Director (Associate) shares with the Director the responsibility for all BLM functions and in his/her absence acts as Director. The Deputy Director (Associate) provides top level executive direction and management continuity for all BLM programs and activities. The Deputy Director oversees bureauwide issue management, directs policy activities related to Native American relationships, and chairs the IRMRC. Specific HQ Office groups report to the Deputy Director, and specific teams under his/her purview carry out work in accordance with team charters.
(d) The Special Assistant/Counsel provides counsel, advice, technical expertise, and assistance to the Director in formulating and evaluating policy for significant and politically sensitive or urgent issues. The Special Assistant/Counsel maintains close review and coordination on items of a sensitive policy nature between the Director and high level officials throughout the Department; represents the Director and acts as the Director's liaison in contacts with White House staff, the Congress, other Departments and agencies, the public, and Government officials; and develops, coordinates, resolves, and implements a variety of special projects which are often highly sensitive and confidential as assigned by the Director.
(2) Assistant Director, External Affairs (AD, EA) assists the Director and is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the BLM's communication and liaison policies and operations. The AD,EA oversees national coordination with other DOI bureaus and Federal agencies, the Congress, constituent groups, the news media, and the general public. Specific teams under his/her purview carry out work in accordance with team charters.
(3) Assistant Director, Resource Assessment and Planning (AD, RAP) is responsible for establishing and coordinating BLM policies and guidance for resource assessments, monitoring resource conditions, land use planning, preservation of significant areas and natural features, resource and land title records, land exchanges and other land tenure adjustments, technical assistance to other countries, and internal regulatory management. The Directorate develops policies and guidance for assessing resource conditions, including impact and trend analyses of factors affecting those ecosystems and resources, participates in interagency efforts to establish indicators of ecosystem health and sustainability, develops policies and guidance for all land use planning efforts, and resolves all plan protests, to assure improvement and maintenance of healthy lands. The Directorate develops policies and guidance for the designation and management of significant trails, wild and scenic rivers, wilderness areas, and other designated or natural features to preserve significant cultural and natural features on the public land. The Directorate is responsible for overseeing the BLM's national responsibility for land title information, including public land ownership records, cadastral surveys, and geographic and spatial data, and maintaining appropriate liaison with other agencies. The Directorate provides required policies and coordination for land tenure adjustments, land exchanges, and withdrawals in support of national goals. The Directorate also provides internal support for all BLM processes in the area of promulgation, review, and management of regulations affecting BLM. The Directorate provides liaison with DOI and other Federal agencies, the Congress, constituent groups, and the general public. Specific HQ Office groups report to the AD, RAP; and specific teams under his/her purview carry out work in accordance with team charters. The AD, RAP is also responsible for supervising the National Applied Resource Sciences Center. (See 3.3A below.)
(4) Assistant Director, Resource Use and Protection (AD, RUP) is responsible for establishing and coordinating BLM policies and guidance for authorizing uses of public land and other jurisdictional lands; for resource protection, including law enforcement and protection of cultural resources, historic sites, paleontological resources values, and locations of cultural and religious significance to Native Americans; and for dispersed recreational uses and other leisure activities on public land, such as hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, bird watching, and biking.
The Directorate establishes policies and guidance for use authorizations, including establishing fair market value and pricing, issuing authorizations, monitoring compliance, and case record management for leases, licenses, permits and other authorizations. Authorized uses include commercial activities such as mineral development, grazing, rights-of-way, timber management, land uses, and commercial recreational activities. The Directorate establishes policies and guidance for resource protection, including law enforcement, hazardous materials and site management, pollution prevention, site remediation, mitigation, and restoration approaches, including related engineering applications. The Directorate establishes policies and guidance to provide for healthy vegetative resources including forest resource management, wild horse and burro removal, riparian management, and wildlife habitat to contribute to improving and maintaining healthy lands. The Directorate establishes policies and guidance for museum property, the identification and preservation of historic sites and locations of cultural and religious significance to Native Americans, and implementation of the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act to assist in the preservation of significant cultural and natural features and paleontological resource values. Work is carried out through appropriate liaison with other Federal agencies, Congress, Native Americans, constituent groups, and the general public. Specific HQ Office groups report to the AD, RUP, and specific teams under his/her purview carry out work in accordance with team charters.
(5) Assistant Director, Administrative and Information Systems (AD, AIS) is responsible for developing policies and guidance for human resource management, including personnel, EEO, employee development, and training; occupational health and safety; HQ Office IRM services; directives; environmental education; and volunteers. The Directorate leads efforts to improve human resource management practices through implementation of policies in the following areas: diversification of the workforce; assessment of staffing and skills needs; employee development and training; team building; facilitation training and services; performance evaluation and pay/award systems; recruitment and capacity building strategies; employee counseling; labor-management partnerships; ethics; administration of the Bureauwide discrimination complaints program; and other human resources responsibilities assigned to the BLM. The Directorate has leadership of BLM's occupational safety and health program, and thus contributes to the protection of public health and safety. The Directorate provides IRM liaison with the Department and other agencies, and appropriate liaison with other Federal agencies, the Office of Personnel Management, Congress, Native Americans, constituent groups, and the general public. After the National IRM Center becomes operational, during 1996, establishment of IRM policy will become the responsibility of the AD, AIS. Specific HQ Office groups report to the AD, AIS, and specific teams under his/her purview carry out work in accordance with team charters. The AD, AIS is also responsible for supervising the National Human Resources Management Center and the National Training Center. (See 3.3B and 3.3D below).
(6) Assistant Director, Business and Fiscal Services (AD, BFS) is the Chief Financial Officer and the Head of the Contracting Activity for the BLM and leads the BLM's efforts to improve business practices and provide fiscal and business service support in the most efficient and effective manner possible. The Directorate is responsible for control of fund systems; budget development and execution; management of fiscal assets; accounting principles and standards; management control and continuous improvement (evaluation); Inspector General/General Accounting Office liaison; acquisition of goods and services; real/personal property; Federal assistance programs; organization management/analysis; strategic planning coordination; leadership in performance measurement, quality management, and process reengineering; and appropriate liaison with other Federal agencies, Congress, Native Americans, constituent groups, and the general public. Specific groups report to the AD, and specific teams under his/her purview carry out work in accordance with team charters. The AD, BFS is responsible for supervising the National Business Center. (See 3.3C below.)
(7) The Office of IRM/Modernization (located in Lakewood, Colorado), headed by the Office Director, has responsibility for establishing information resources management policy, managing the modernization contract which encompasses procuring and deploying a new hardware, software, and telecommunications platform; rehosting some applications running on mainframe/mini/personal computer hardware to the new platform; and developing and deploying the Automated Land and Mineral Records System (ALMRS). The Office of IRM/Modernization is also responsible for providing Bureauwide IRM systems support, configuration management, data management, telecommunications and computer systems operations, and applications software development. During 1996 the Office is slated to transition to the National IRM Center, which will report to the AD, AIS. Functions of the Center are projected to include management of cross-cutting IRM functions; management of data; development of new applications; and operations and maintenance of IRM applications and systems. After the National IRM Center becomes operational, during 1996, establishment of IRM policy will become the responsibility of the AD, AIS.
(8) The Office of Fire and Aviation (located in Boise, Idaho) consists of a National Director, Associate Director, a national office staff, and the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The Director, Associate, and national office staff develop national policy, guidance, and standards, and maintain functional oversight and interagency coordination for all fire, aviation, and all-hazard activities. The Office provides leadership in the effort to protect life, property, and ecosystems from wildfires and to protect and enhance ecosystem health, integrity, and diversity through prescribed fire. It also oversees aviation management services to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and promotes aviation safety in support of all aspects of the BLM's mission. The national office staff collaborate with BLM's partners in the NIFC in providing direction for the management of the Center.
3.3 National Centers. The BLM has five national centers having specific assigned service and support responsibilities.
A. National Applied Resource Sciences Center (NARSC). The NARSC is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and reports to the AD, RAP. The NARSC provides services in the areas of scientific and technical consulting, information exchange, production, analysis and assessment, and systems. The NARSC provides assistance and advice on natural resource subjects to BLM field specialists and others upon request, develops and provides training in coordination with the NTC, identifies (but does not conduct) research needs, assesses research results, manages Bureauwide energy conservation, provides scarce skills, and serves as an agent to bring scientific and technical skills together to assist its customers. The NARSC collects, assimilates, synthesizes, and disseminates scientific and technical information; supplies necessary tools or specialized equipment to support the customers' use of science and technology; as requested, analyzes and assesses land management issues; designs resource systems for use in assessing, documenting, and monitoring ecosystem conditions; and coordinates scientific systems design and maintenance, data management, and geospatial projects between field resource specialists and computer system specialists.
B. National Human Resources Management Center (NHRMC). The NHRMC is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and reports to the AD, AIS. The NHRMC provides BLM-wide human resource services, support, advice, and/or assistance in labor relations, employee relations, employee benefits, ethics, worker's compensation pay administration, automated personnel systems, position management, classification appeals, training coordination, merit promotion, staffing, recruitment, equal employment opportunity, and occupational and environmental safety and health. The NHRMC develops, implements, administers, and coordinates the transition to more efficient and productive human resources processes. The NHRMC also manages the following programs: ethics, Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Plan, workers' compensation, Hispanic Coalition Memorandum of Understanding, Resources Apprenticeship Program for Students, and occupational and environmental safety and health. The NHRMC provides operational human resources, occupational and environmental safety and health, Equal Employment Opportunity, and information resources management support to the Office of IRM/Modernization, the NBC, and the NARSC.
C. National Business Center (NBC). The NBC is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and reports to the AD, BFS. The NBC has operational responsibilities in finance and budget, including cash processing, payments and reporting, and in the areas of property and acquisition. The NBC provides Bureauwide contract support in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, except for Headquarters and Oregon, which have unlimited contracting authority. This includes acquisition of all types of supplies and services, Federal information processing, construction acquisition, and space leasing. In addition, the NBC provides business support services to the Office of IRM/Modernization, NHRMC, and NARSC. The NBC provides Bureauwide services, support, advice, and/or assistance in BLM's Federal Financial System (FFS) and BLM Working Capital Fund, implementing the Debt Collection Act of 1982, and recommending policy for implementation of the Federal Manager's Financial Integrity Act. The NBC provides acquisition and property management systems support, advice, and assistance to field offices. The NBC maintains liaison with appropriate DOI offices and the DOI administrative service centers.
D. National Training Center (NTC). The NTC is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and reports to the AD, AIS. The NTC provides dynamic, innovative training and necessary services to effectively manage public lands and natural resources. The NTC is responsible for standard classroom courses, facilitated package courses, private vendor courses, and self-study courses. In addition, the NTC maintains a video program which meets both training and public and internal information needs.
E. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The NIFC is located in Boise, Idaho, and is managed by an Administrator, who reports of the Director, Office of Fire and Aviation. With BLM as the host bureau, the NIFC includes cooperating fire related units from the Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a fire weather support unit from the National Weather Service. The NIFC is responsible for designing, building, and delivering products and logistical and administrative services in support of the fire and aviation activities of the BLM and its partners. Support is also provided to other wildfire suppression and emergency response agencies through reimbursable agreements with BLM or other participating agencies. Such support includes telecommunications and data systems, specialized personnel and equipment, administrative support, fire training, and fire business management guidance. The NIFC participates in the development and improvement of standards and technology for the fire protection activity, is a clearinghouse for information on fire fighting techniques, and collects data on fire danger, fire occurrences, and suppression resources used. A Board of Directors (composed of the BLM Director, Office of Fire and Aviation; the Fire Directors for the Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the Area Manager for the National Weather Service; and the Director, Office of Aircraft Services) resolves issues and provides input to the NIFC Administrator on the operation of NIFC and base facilities.
5/3/96 #3066
Replaces 1/16/91 #2908