The Department of the Interior was created by act of March 3, 1849 (43 U.S.C. 1451), which transferred to it the General Land Office, the Office of Indian Affairs, the Pension Office, and the Patent Office. It was reorganized by Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1950, as amended (5 U.S.C. app.). Over the years, other functions have been added and removed, so that its role has changed from that of general housekeeper for the Federal Government to that of custodian of the Nation's natural resources. Office of the Secretary Secretary The Secretary of the Interior reports directly to the President and is responsible for the direction and supervision of all operations and activities of the Department. The Office of the Secretary includes the offices of Deputy Secretary, the Assistant Secretaries, the Special Trustee for American Indians, the Solicitor, and the Inspector General. Some areas where public purposes are broadly applied include: Fish and Wildlife and Parks The Assistant Secretary (Fish and Wildlife and Parks) discharges the duties of the Secretary with the authority and direct responsibility for programs associated with conservation in the use of natural and cultural resources, and the enhancement and protection of fish, wildlife, vegetation, and habitat. The Assistant Secretary represents the Department in the coordination of marine environmental quality and biological resources programs with other Federal agencies. The Assistant Secretary also exercises Secretarial direction and supervision over the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Biological Service, and the National Park Service. Water and Science The Assistant Secretary (Water and Science) discharges the duties of the Secretary with the authority and direct responsibility to carry out the statutory mandate to manage and direct programs that support the development and implementation of water, mineral, and science policies and assist the development of economically and environmentally sound resource activities. The Assistant Secretary oversees the programs of the Bureau of Reclamation and the United States Geological Survey. The Office of the Assistant Secretary provides advice on Earth science matters to the Secretary and represents the Department of the Interior in interagency efforts on a range of scientific issues. Land and Minerals Management The Assistant Secretary (Land and Minerals Management) discharges the duties of the Secretary with the authority and direct responsibility for programs associated with public land management; operations management and leasing for minerals on public lands, including the Outer Continental Shelf to the outer limits of the United States economic jurisdiction; minerals operations management on Indian lands; surface mining reclamation and enforcement functions; and management of revenues from Federal and Indian mineral leases. The Assistant Secretary exercises Secretarial direction and supervision over the Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service, and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary (Indian Affairs) discharges the authority and responsibility of the Secretary for activities pertaining to Indians and Indian affairs. The Assistant Secretary is responsible for exercising Secretarial direction and supervision over the Bureau of Indian Affairs by: -providing the Secretary with detailed and objective advice on matters involving Indians and Indian affairs; -identifying and acting on issues affecting Indian policy and programs; -establishing policy on Indian affairs; -maintaining liaison and coordination between the Department of the Interior and other Federal agencies that provide services or funding to Indians; -representing the Department in transactions with Congress; -monitoring and evaluating ongoing activities related to Indian affairs; and -undertaking or providing leadership in special assignments and projects for the Secretary. Policy, Management, and Budget The For further information, contact the Office of the Office of the Solicitor The Office of the Solicitor performs all of The headquarters office, located in for legal matters involving the programs The field organization of the Office is divided into seven regions, each headed by a Regional Solicitor. For further information, contact the Associate Office of the Solicitor PACIFIC NORTHWEST-Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wash- Suite 607, 500 NE. Multnomah St., Portland, 503-231-2125 ington PACIFIC SOUTHWEST-Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Territories, Utah OR 97232 Rm. E-2753, 2800 Cottage Way, Sac- 916-979-2141 ramento, CA 95825-1890 ROCKY MOUNTAIN Colorado, lowa, Kansas, Missouri, Rm. 151, 755 Parfet St., Lakewood, CO 303-231-5353 Nebraska, Wyoming SOUTHEAST-Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands 80215 Suite 304, 75 Spring St. SW., Atlanta, GA 404-331-5504 30303 SOUTHWEST-Navajo Reservation, New Mexico, Okla- Suite 200, 2400 Louisiana Blvd. NE., Albu- 505-883-6700 homa, Texas querque, NM 87110-4316 Office of Special Trustee for The Office of Special Trustee for For further information, contact the Office of the Office of Inspector General The Office of Inspector General provides policy direction for and conducts, supervises, and coordinates all audits, Region/Headquarters EASTERN: Lakewood, CO (A) Sacramento, CA (A) Lakewood, CO (1) CARIBBEAN: St. Thomas, VI (A) NORTH PACIFIC: Agana, GU (A) investigations, relations with other Federal, State, and local government agencies, and other selected activities designed to promote economy and efficiency and to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse. In the insular areas of Guam, Regional Offices—Office of Inspector General For further information, contact the Office of Inspector General, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240. Phone, 202–208-4599. Internet, http://www.access.gpo.gov/doi/. Office of Hearings and Appeals The Office of Hearings and Appeals is a unit of the Office of the Secretary and is headed by a Director, who reports administratively to the Assistant Secretary (Policy, Management, and Budget). The Office of Hearings and Appeals is responsible for departmental quasijudicial and related functions. Administrative law judges and three formal boards of appeal render decisions in cases pertaining to contract disputes; Indian probate and administrative appeals; public and acquired lands and their resources; submerged offshore lands of the Outer Continental Shelf; surface coal mining control and reclamation; claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; and enforcement of the importation and transportation of rare and endangered species. The Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals may assign administrative law judges or other officials from the Office of Hearings and Appeals for the purpose of holding rulemaking hearings and may also assign administrative law judges or establish ad hoc boards of appeal to meet special requirements of disputes not falling under one of the previously listed categories. Board decisions are final for the Department. The Office includes the headquarters organization and eight field offices for administrative law judges. For further information, contact the Office of Hearings and Appeals, Department of the Interior, 4015 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22203. Phone, 703-235-3810. Office of Insular Affairs The Office of Insular Affairs carries out the Department's responsibility to help coordinate Federal policy for the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and oversee Federal programs and funds in the freely associated states of the Federal States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The mission of the Office is to build mutually beneficial partnerships and provide financial and technical assistance to help insular governments attain locally determined economic, social, and political goals. The insular areas now have popularly elected executive and legislative branches of government and administer their own affairs. The Office of Insular Affairs provides financial and technical assistance to the insular governments and analyzes economic and political issues as they relate to the unique Federal relationship with the islands. For further information, contact the Office of Bureaus United States Fish and Wildlife [For the United States Fish and Wildlife Service statement of organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 50, Subchapter A, Part 2] The United States Fish and Wildlife Service's national responsibility in the service of fish, wildlife, and people spans more than 120 years to the establishment in 1871 of a predecessor agency, the Bureau of Fisheries. First created as an independent agency, the Bureau of Fisheries was later placed in the Department of Commerce. A second predecessor agency, the Bureau of Biological Survey, was established in 1885 in the Department of Agriculture. In 1939 the two Bureaus and their functions were transferred to the Department of the Interior. They were consolidated into one agency and redesignated the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1940 by Reorganization Plan III (5 U.S.C. app.). Further reorganization came in 1956 when the Fish and Wildlife Act (16 U.S.C. 742a) created the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and provided for it to replace and succeed the former Fish and Wildlife Service. The Act established two Bureaus within the new Service: the Bureau of Commercial In 1970, under Reorganization Plans 3 and 4 (5 U.S.C. app.), the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries was transferred to the Department of Commerce. The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, which remained in Interior, was renamed by an act of Congress in April 1974 (16 U.S.C. 742b) as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service is composed of a headquarters office in Washington, DC, seven regional offices, and a variety of field units and installations. These include more than 500 national wildlife refuges and 166 waterfowl production areas totaling more than 92 million acres; 78 national fish hatcheries; and a nationwide network of wildlife law enforcement agents. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for migratory birds, endangered species, certain marine mammals, and inland sport fisheries. Its mission is to conserve, protect, and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Within this framework, the Service strives to foster |