21 January 2009

The Cabinet: Interior

Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar

Secretary Ken Salazar

Ken Salazar was sworn in January 21, 2009, as secretary of the Department of the Interior. Salazar was a U.S. senator representing Colorado and had previously served as the state’s attorney general and head of its Department of Natural Resources. Salazar is also a rancher and farmer.

Salazar’s Senate confirmation hearing took place January 15, 2009. The text of Salazar's prepared testimony is available on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee website.

The Department of the Interior, established 1849

Mission: To protect and provide access to the United States’ natural and cultural heritage and honor the country’s trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and commitments to island communities.

Staff: More than 67,000 employees and 180,000 volunteers at 2,400 operating locations throughout the United States

Duties: The department is the principal conservation agency of the United States. It manages land, water and energy needs. It also is responsible for scientific and geological research and works to conserve fish, wildlife and other natural resources.

History: Congress created the department in 1849 by combining parts of the existing departments of State, War, Navy and Treasury to form a new agency that exclusively would handle domestic affairs.

International engagement: The department manages the U.S. National Park System, which includes cultural and recreational sites like monuments and national parks that attract millions of visitors every year. In addition, it provides services to the 562 federally recognized American Indian tribes that are treated as nations within a nation under U.S. law.

Fun fact: The Department of the Interior manages 200 million hectares of land, or about one-fifth of all U.S. sovereign territory.

More information: Department of the Interior.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)