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REFORM
CHANGING HOW THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DOES BUSINESS
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In January, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar addressed employees of the Minerals Management Service in Lakewood, Colorado and launched a major reform initiative within DOI. Hi-Res
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Accountability, Transparency and Ethical 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. In his first all-employee listening session and in a memo to all employees, Secretary Salazar outlined a set of high ethical standards that Department employees, both political and career, must follow. Secretary Salazar then traveled to the Minerals Management Service office in Denver, the site of several improprieties under the previous Administration, where – in consultation with the Department’s Inspector General - he launched a major reform initiative within DOI, to be led by Chief of Staff and former U.S. attorney Tom Strickland.
Under this reform initiative:
- The Interior Department is conducting a top-to-bottom review of the agency’s oil and gas royalty program, including examining possible restructuring or royalty rate changes.
- The Department of Justice has been asked to reexamine the potential criminal conduct of a group of Minerals Management Service employees at the agency’s Lakewood, Colorado office.
- Led by Mr. Strickland, the Department is conducting a full review of its ethics regulations. New ethics guidance has already been issued to all MMS employees.
Reviewing Late Actions by the Previous Administration
Before leaving office, the previous Administration made several last-minute decisions that Secretary Salazar immediately reviewed, modified, or reversed, including:
- Utah Oil and Gas Leases Near National Parks: Secretary Salazar ordered that 77 oil and gas lease parcels near Dinosaur National Monument and Arches and Canyonlands National Parks be withdrawn and reconsidered.
- Scientific Consultations under the Endangered Species Act: Under authority from Congress and with direction from President Obama, Secretary Salazar and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke withdrew a regulation issued by the previous Administration that reduced the role of Fish and Wildlife Service scientists in certain Endangered Species Act reviews.
- Mountaintop Mining Rule: On April 27, Secretary Salazar moved to withdraw a controversial regulation, finalized in the last weeks of the previous Administration, which allowed mountain top coal mining operators to dump mountaintop fill into streambeds if it is found to be the cheapest and most convenient disposal option.
- Rushed Public Process for Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Days before leaving office, the previous administration announced an accelerated public comment period for establishing a new 5-year program for offshore oil and gas development. Secretary Salazar extended the public comment by 180 days and has held four public meetings around the country to ensure that the voices of citizens, stakeholders, and elected officials are heard and considered.
Opening Government through New Media Tools
Secretary Salazar has launched an overhaul of the Department of the Interior’s web presence and new media strategy. He has appointed the first-ever New Media Director in the Department of the Interior, directed a redesign and restructuring of DOI’s website as well as the creation of new tools for Interior employees and the public to communicate directly with him, and ordered a top-to-bottom review of the Department’s information systems and policies.
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