Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne is joined by James C. Rees, Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens during announcement that the United States is nominating President George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii for inclusion on the World Heritage List. [Photo by Tami Heilemann, NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Announces World Heritage Nominations for Mount Vernon and Papahanaumokuakea

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that the United States is nominating President George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii for inclusion on the World Heritage List. Joining the Secretary for the formal announcement at the historic home of America’s first President was James C. Rees, Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens. “For the first time in 15 years, the United States is submitting nominations to the official list of the world’s most significant natural and cultural sites,” Kempthorne said. Mount Vernon and Papahanaumokuakea “will be in good company on the list with areas such as Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, the Galapagos islands of Ecuador, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, India’s Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt,” Kempthorne noted. “What these sites have in common is that they are significant as sites that are not only national icons in their respective countries, but global treasures symbolic to all humankind.” more

Secretary Kempthorne Announces Settlement of Cushman Hydroelectric Project Dispute

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced the settlement of a variety of complex technical and procedural issues for the Cushman Hydroelectric Project in Tacoma, Washington. The issues have made this one of the longest-running relicensing proceedings in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission history. The settlement resolves a dispute that began more than 80 years ago and a FERC relicensing process characterized by more than 30 years of disagreement “Credit is due to a collaborative process from across the Department. Representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and the Office of the Solicitor contributed countless hours to achieve this goal, and I am proud of their efforts,” Kempthorne said. Negotiations also included the Skokomish Indian Tribe, The City of Tacoma, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the State of Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Ecology. more

U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, at left, joined Secretary Kempthorne on Oct. 16, 2008, near Durango, Colorado at an event celebrating the Animas-La Plata water project. [Photo by Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Kempthorne Applauds Nomination of Senator Salazar

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today praised U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, President-Elect Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior, saying the senator is an excellent selection to lead the 73,000-strong agency. "As a lifelong Westerner and rancher who has led Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources and is a member of the Senate Energy Committee, Senator Salazar already understands many of Interior’s diverse and complex issues," Kempthorne said. "He recognizes the importance that America’s federal lands must play in reducing our dependence on foreign energy; he supports our national parks; he has positive relationships with American Indian tribes; he understands the complexities of western water issues." more

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About the Department of the interior
The Department of the Interior (DOI) is the nation’s principal conservation agency. Interior is a large, decentralized agency with over 80,000 employees and 180,000 volunteers located at approximately 2,400 operating locations across the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and freely associated states. more
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