What is the Department of the Interior?

The Department of the Interior is the federal department responsible for managing public lands, national parks, federal water projects, wildlife, and the relationships between the federal government and Native American tribes. Created by Congress in 1849, the department oversees roughly 500 million acres of federal public land, about one-fifth of the entire United States. Most of this land is in the western states and Alaska. The department's headquarters is the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building in Washington, D.C., named after the long-serving Interior Secretary who held the post from 1961 to 1969. The department employs about 70,000 people, many working in remote field offices, national parks, and tribal areas.

The Interior Department operates several large bureaus, each handling a specific area of responsibility. The National Park Service manages 425 national park units, including Yellowstone (the world's first national park, established in 1872), Yosemite, Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and the Lincoln Memorial. The Bureau of Land Management oversees 245 million acres of public land, mainly in the West, and grants leases for grazing, mining, and energy development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages national wildlife refuges and enforces laws protecting endangered species, migratory birds, and marine mammals. The Bureau of Indian Affairs administers the federal government's relationships with 574 federally recognized Native American tribes and provides services to roughly 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Bureau of Reclamation operates dams, reservoirs, and water projects, particularly in the arid western states. The U.S. Geological Survey conducts scientific research on natural resources, geology, and natural hazards.

The Department of the Interior also oversees energy development on federal lands, including oil, gas, coal, and renewable energy. Decisions about leasing federal land for energy development have been politically contentious for decades and shift with changing administrations. Recent Secretaries of the Interior include Sally Jewell, Ryan Zinke, David Bernhardt, Deb Haaland (the first Native American to hold the post), and Doug Burgum.