President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar mark the 160th Anniversary of the Department of the Interior in a ceremony at Interior Headquarters. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

President Obama, Secretary Salazar
Mark Interior’s 160th Anniversary

President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar marked the 160th Anniversary of the Department of the Interior today in a ceremony at the Yates Auditorium in the Main Interior Building. In addition to the 600 employees who packed the auditorium to watch the event, Department employees around the nation watched via satellite broadcast or listened via teleconference bridge. The Department was established on March 3, 1849.  more

• President Obama's Remarks
• Secretary Salazar's Remarks
• Audio of President Obama and Secretary Salazar's Remarks
• View Additional Photos

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar describes President Obama's proposed budget for 2010 as a fiscally responsible, tough choice blueprint that stresses transparency, accountability and responsibility to American taxpayers. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

President Recommends $12 Billion
for Interior in Fiscal Year 2010
Budget Proposal

The President’s 2010 Budget includes $12 billion for the Department of the Interior to undertake initiatives to promote energy security with a focus on clean renewable sources and strategies to address climate change, protect and preserve America’s national parks and public lands, strengthen Native American communities, enhance outdoor opportunities for young people, and conserve wetlands and wildlife habitat.  more

• President’s FY2010 Budget for Interior

Secretary Salazar to Offer a New
Round of Oil Shale RD&D Leases

The Department of the Interior will offer a second round of research, development, and demonstration leases for oil shale in Colorado and Utah and withdraw the previous administration’s proposal for expanded RD&D leases, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today. “We need to push forward aggressively with research, development and demonstration of oil shale technologies to see if we can find a safe and economically viable way to unlock these resources on a commercial scale.  The research, development, and demonstration leases we will offer can help answer critical questions about oil shale, including about the viability of emerging technologies on a commercial scale, how much water and power would be required, and what impact commercial development would have on land, water, wildlife, and communities.”  more

• Audio of Secretary's Announcement

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar pledges a more active and effective working relationship with U.S. island leaders through the Interagency Group on Insular Affairs. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Convenes White House Group on Insular Affairs; U.S. Island Governors and Delegates Discuss Priorities

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar told U.S. island leaders that he will promote a more active and effective working relationship with them through the White House Interagency Group on Insular Affairs.  “We plan to use the Interagency Group as the means for extensive consultation with the island Governors and Members of Congress to coordinate significant decisions, and to advocate a collaborative approach to the federal government’s responsibilities to Insular Areas,” Salazar said. More than 80 representatives from the four U.S. island territories and federal agencies attended the plenary session of the Group, which was established to coordinate federal assistance and activities in the insular areas. more

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joins House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Former President Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at a National Clean Energy Project Conference on Feb. 23, 2009. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Salazar Discusses
Interior's Role in Developing,
Transmitting Renewable Energy

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar participated in an historic roundtable of many of the nation’s top leaders today at a summit examining how development of renewable energy in conjunction with a “National Clean Energy Smart Grid” is an economic, environmental and national security imperative. Salazar joined former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens and others in a roundtable discussion at the event. more

• Audio of Media Roundtable

At a Media Roundtable on Feb. 20, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar discusses the steps he is taking to implement President Obama's plan to create jobs and spur economic recovery. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Begins Rapid, Responsible Implementation of Interior's $3 Billion
of Economic Recovery Plan

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar held a media roundtable today at the Department of the Interior in Washington D.C. to discuss how the department will swiftly and responsibly implement President Obama’s economic recovery plan to help create jobs, generate economic activity in local communities, and renew our national parks, national wildlife refuges and other public lands and resources. more

• Audio of Media Roundtable

During a visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve on Feb. 15, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar discusses job creation at national parks and wildlife refuges under President Obama’s economic recovery and reinvestment plan. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Highlights Jobs for Colorado in Economic Recovery Package

In a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in his native San Luis Valley in Colorado, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar described the opportunities for job creation afforded by President Obama’s economic recovery and reinvestment plan. He noted that investments in local “shovel-ready” projects would not only create jobs but also benefit conservation and restoration efforts in both the national park and nearby wildlife refuges. more

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar testifies before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Feb. 12, 2009. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Salazar Pledges to Restore Trust, Strengthen Tribal Sovereignty, Promote Economic Development

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today pledged to restore integrity in government relations with Indian tribes, fulfill the United States’ trust responsibilities to Native Americans, and work cooperatively to build stronger economies and safer American Indian communities. The Secretary's first formal testimony to Congress was addressed to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. more

• Full Text of Secretary Salazar's Statement
• Audio of Secretary Salazar's Statement

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, center, cuts the ribbon at the re-opening of Ford's Theatre National Historic Site on Feb. 11, 2009. Participating in the ribbon-cutting are, from left, D.C. Council Member Jack Evans; Mayor Adrian Fenty; Secretary Salazar; NPS acting Director Dan Wenk (behind Secretary); NPS superintendent Kym Elder; Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign Chairman Rex Tillerson; Paul Tetreault, managing director of the Ford's Theatre Society; and Wayne Reynolds, chairman of the society's Board of Trustees. [NPS photo by Terry Adams] Hi-Res

Secretary Salazar Helps
Re-Open Ford’s Theater

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined leaders of the Ford’s Theater Society, the National Park Service and the District of Columbia at a news conference and ribbon-cutting to re-open Ford’s Theatre after its 18-month renovation. The event initiated the celebration of the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln. “I’d like to think that the spirit of President Abraham Lincoln is here with us today to celebrate not only his 200th birthday but the re-opening of Ford’s Theater,” Secretary Salazar said at the ribbon-cutting. “I think he would have liked to experience how a wonderful partnership has brought this theater and its educational programs into the 21st century.” more

• Full Text of Secretary Salazar's Remarks
• Audio of Secretary Salazar's Remarks

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar unveils his strategy for a proposed 5-year plan for oil and gas development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Salazar Details Strategy
for Comprehensive Energy Plan on
U.S. Outer Continental Shelf

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Saying he needed to restore order to a broken process, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced his strategy for developing an offshore energy plan that includes both conventional and renewable resources.

His strategy calls for extending the public comment period on a proposed 5-year plan for oil and gas development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf by 180 days, assembling a detailed report from Interior agencies on conventional and renewable offshore energy resources, holding four regional conferences to review these findings, and expediting renewable energy rulemaking for the Outer Continental Shelf.  more

• Full Text of Secretary Salazar's Remarks
• Audio of Secretary Salazar's Remarks

Congressman John Sarbanes, Senator Benjamin Cardin, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer today visited Patuxent Research Refuge and Wildlife Research Center in Maryland to highlight the job creation and conservation benefits of President Obama’s economic recovery plan. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Interior Funding in Economic Recovery Act Would Create 100,000 Jobs

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senator Benjamin Cardin and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman John Sarbanes today visited Patuxent Research Refuge and Wildlife Research Center in Maryland to highlight the job creation and conservation benefits of President Obama’s economic recovery plan, which is currently before Congress. The investments in the Department of the Interior that are included in the President’s plan would create an estimated 100,000 jobs over the next two years. Both the House and Senate versions of the bill include over $4 billion in investments in conservation projects, water infrastructure, roads, Native American schools, and other ready-to-go projects. more

• Audio of Secretary Salazar's Remarks

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Nedra Darling, Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Information Office listen to the Honor Song by the Black Bear Singers. [Photo Credit: Tami Heilemann, DOI-NBC] Hi-Res

Secretary Salazar, Interior Employees Welcome First Lady Michelle Obama

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today welcomed First Lady Michelle Obama to the Department of the Interior, hailing her as “a rock for the future of the nation.” The third visit of the First Lady to a federal department featured a ceremony rooted in Interior’s responsibilities to Native Americans--Indian drum rolls and presentation of a shawl marking her achievements. Joined by some of the department’s longest-serving employees on stage, the First Lady and Secretary thanked all employees for their service and reaffirmed President Barack Obama’s commitment to the environment as part of the economic stimulus package for which he is currently touring the country as well as his commitment to respecting sovereign Indian nations. more

• Secretary's Remarks
• First Lady's Remarks to Interior Employees
• Audio of First Lady's Remarks
• Video of Secretary's and First Lady's Remarks
• View Additional Photos

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 67,000 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 Mission Statement History Key Officials Past Secretaries Organizational Chart Quick Facts DOI In the News Strategic Plan DOI en Español Interior Library Significant Guidance Documents Below are links to some DOI sites that may be of interest: Water Science Floods Astrogeology at USGS Conservation Hurricanes Resources Earthquakes Land Wildlife Fire Endangered Species Maps Habitats & Conservation Parks / Refuges / BLM Lands Wild Horse & Burro Adoption Offshore Lands/Volcanoes Duck Stamps Communities InfoLinks Special Trustee Healthy Forests Indian Trust Avian Influenza Information Territories and Islands 2005 Hurricane Recovery