The 56th Presidential Inauguration and the Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior is involved in planning and preparations for the 56th Presidential Inauguration on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. DOI employees in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area will be affected by the multi-day Inauguration ceremonies. As it will not be business as usual, these employees are being informed of events, activities and changes to normal working hours and routines and additional information is available at www.doi.gov/inauguration. more

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, right, and Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan signed a declaration regarding cooperative measures to improve management of the Colorado River. Hi-Res

Secretary Kempthorne, Mexican Ambassador Sarukhan Sign Declaration on Management of the Colorado River

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan signed a declaration praising joint efforts to identify additional cooperative measures to improve management of the Colorado River to meet the environmental, agricultural and urban needs of both countries during a period of historic drought. The joint declaration, signed during a ceremony at the Mexican Embassy, highlights cooperation between the two countries in the past two years under the auspices of the International Boundary and Water Commission to develop innovative approaches to better management of the Colorado’s water. more
En Español

• Joint Declaration on
  Colorado River Issues En Español

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer sign agreements for the purchase of 12 parcels of land in the West from a special land conservation fund. Hi-Res

Interior, Agriculture Secretaries
Announce Purchase of Western Land
with High Conservation Values

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer announced that four Federal land-management agencies are in the process of acquiring 12 pieces of property in seven Western states with $4.7 million from a special land conservation fund. “The nearly $5 million to be used for these land purchases will bring into public ownership 1,587 acres that have extraordinary natural, scenic, recreational, or historical value,” said Secretary Kempthorne. “Acquiring these parcels promotes conservation while helping to ensure effective public lands management.” “This unique joint effort enables the Federal land management agencies to work together in conserving magnificent landscapes for the benefit of the American people now and in the future,” said Secretary Schafer. “With this tool, the best land and the best water are now part of our public treasures.” more

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 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 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 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

• Department of the Interior Accomplishments

DOI Climate Change Task Force Reports

Accomplishments of President
Bush's Administration at the
Department of the Interior

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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Key Officials	Past Secretaries
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Significant Guidance Documents
Below are links to some DOI sites that may be of interest:
Water	Science
Floods	Astrogeology at USGS
Supply in the West	Hurricanes
Conservation	Earthquakes
Resources	Energy
Land	Wildlife
Fire	Endangered Species
Maps	Habitats & Conservation
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Communities	InfoLinks
Special Trustee	Healthy Forests
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Territories and Islands	2005 Hurricane Recovery