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Department of the Interior Progress Report
On January 20, 2009, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Ken Salazar to serve as the 50th Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
In his first 100 days in office, Secretary Salazar has made it clear that the Department of the Interior must change how it does business, regain the trust of the American people, and chart a new path. As the steward of America’s natural resources, the Department of the Interior has a solemn responsibility to carry out its mission with openness and accountability to the American people, and must base its decisions on public input and the best science available.
Guided by these principles, Secretary Salazar has swiftly begun to implement President Obama’s vision for building a clean energy economy, reducing our dependence on foreign oil by building a comprehensive energy plan, protecting America’s treasured landscapes, engaging America’s youth in the outdoors, honoring our trust responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives, serving island communities, and tackling the water challenges facing our country.
From establishing renewable energy as a priority for the Department of the Interior to helping our economy stand up again through the Recovery Act, President Obama and Secretary Salazar have quickly begun to change how the Department of the Interior does business.
Download the full Progress Report 
- Reform
Just two days after his confirmation, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced his plan to bring ethical change to the Department and to clean up the ethical lapses that occurred under the previous Administration.
- Building Our Clean Energy Economy
Secretary Salazar believes that the Department of the Interior, which oversees one-fifth of the nation’s landmass and over 1.7 billion acres in the outer-continental shelf, should be a leader in the new energy frontier by helping produce and transmit renewable energy from America’s public lands.
- Protecting America’s Treasured Landscapes for the 21st Century
President Obama has a bold agenda for protecting America’s open spaces and treasured landscapes, which the Department of the Interior is implementing through wise stewardship, decisions based on sound science, and forward-looking policies that will help protect our land, water, and wildlife for future generations.
- Empowering Native American Communities
President Obama has placed a high priority on restoring the nation-to-nation relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes. Secretary Salazar is committed to helping American Indian and Alaska Native communities prosper, expanding opportunities for young people, strengthening law enforcement, and helping these communities develop renewable energy resources on their lands.
- Implementing the Recovery Act with Openness and Accountability
The $3 billion in funding allocated for the Department of the Interior in President Obama's economic recovery plan could create thousands of new jobs and stimulate business activity in communities across America. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Interior is making an investment in conserving America's timeless treasures—our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and heritage—while helping working families and their communities prosper again.
- Creating Opportunities for America’s Youth in the Outdoors
Secretary Salazar is committed to engaging tens of thousands of young people across the country to work on conservation and energy efficiency projects on America’s public lands.
- Tackling America’s Water Challenges
Under President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act the Bureau of Reclamation is investing $1 billion to fund water reuse projects and construct rural water projects that will provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural areas and ensure adequate water supplies to western localities.
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