Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior (DOI) protects and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated Island Communities.  The President’s Budget provides $12 billion to DOI to achieve these goals, while reforming inefficient programs, and includes mandatory proposals that would save the Treasury about $3 billion over 10 years. The Budget reflects continued support for land and water conservation programs - an Administration priority - and an increase for offshore oil drilling oversight in the wake of the Gulf Coast oil spill. As with all Departments, cuts had to be made in other worthy areas, including construction programs in national parks, wildlife refuges, public lands and tribal facilities.

Invests in Clean Energy Development and Natural Resources for Economic Growth

• Invests $73 million to review and permit renewable energy projects on Federal lands.  DOI has set a goal to permit at least 9,000 megawatts of new solar, wind, and geothermal electricity generation capacity on DOI-managed lands by the end of 2011.
• Provides $48 million for the U.S. Geological Survey to lead the Landsat satellite program, which collects remote sensing data that are invaluable for many purposes, including natural resource management and climate research.
• Promotes water conservation through programs like the water re-use and recycling programs in WaterSMART, and continues restoration of sensitive ecosystems such as the California Bay-Delta. 

Improves the Way Federal Dollars are Spent

• Reforms the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) with over $500 million (including offsetting collections and fees) to restructure BOEMRE and strengthen oversight of offshore oil and gas operations in the aftermath of the unprecedented Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. With these investments, the Department can hire new oil and gas inspectors, engineers, scientists, and others to oversee industry operations; establish real-time monitoring of key drilling activities; conduct detailed engineering reviews of offshore drilling and production safety systems; and implement more aggressive reviews of company oil spill response plans, while also facilitating the timely review of offshore oil and gas permits.
• Improves the return to taxpayers from energy and mineral development on Federal lands and waters through royalty reforms, industry fees and the elimination of unwarranted mineral revenue payments to States and counties, yielding more than $4 billion over the next decade.
• Reduces funding for construction projects by 36 percent from 2010 levels by freezing new construction and focusing funds on high-priority maintenance projects.

Protects America's Natural Resources and Heritage

• Conserves landscapes and ecosystems and promotes outdoor recreation in national parks, refuges, and on other public lands through the America’s Great Outdoors initiative. The Land and Water Conservation Fund programs in DOI and USDA are fully funded at $900 million.
• Includes a legislative proposal to reduce the environmental impacts of coal and hardrock mining by dedicating and prioritizing funds to clean up the Nation’s most hazardous abandoned mines.
• Strengthens Native American communities through the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 with $355 million to reduce crime and increase funding for tribal courts.