The Secretary of the Interior leads the U.S. Department of the Interior and, through it, manages more than 500 million acres of federal land, the federal government’s trust relationship with 575 recognized Native American tribes, offshore energy leasing, western water infrastructure, wildlife protection, and federal policy for U.S. territories.1U.S. Department of the Interior. DOI UAS Authorized Areas It is a cabinet post created in 1849, and it sits eighth in the presidential line of succession.2U.S. Department of the Interior. History of the Department of the Interior
The Department employs about 70,000 people across roughly a dozen bureaus.3U.S. Department of the Interior. About Our Employees What follows is what the Secretary actually oversees.
Public Lands, Parks, and Water
The biggest part of the job is stewarding federal land. The Bureau of Land Management administers roughly 245 million surface acres and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral rights, mostly across the western states.4Bureau of Land Management. What We Manage Nationally The National Park Service adds more than 85 million acres across 433 park units in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.5National Park Service. National Park System Together with national wildlife refuges and Bureau of Reclamation holdings, Interior manages more land than any other federal agency.
BLM land is multi-use: wind and solar projects, oil and gas leases, coal, grazing, timber, and recreation all coexist under its rules.4Bureau of Land Management. What We Manage Nationally The Secretary sets the priorities that tilt that balance, which is why the position draws close attention from industry and environmental groups alike.
Water is a related power, and in the West it is enormous. The Bureau of Reclamation runs the dams, reservoirs, and delivery systems that supply irrigation to millions of acres of farmland, drinking water to communities, and hydroelectric power to the grid.6Bureau of Reclamation. Bureau of Reclamation Allocation calls made by the Secretary can shape whole regional economies.
Energy Leasing and Revenue
Federal land generates real money. The Office of Natural Resources Revenue collected and disbursed more than $18 billion in fiscal year 2023 from energy production on federal and tribal lands and offshore areas, sending $4.72 billion to 33 state governments that year. Since 1982, the program has disbursed more than $371 billion.7U.S. Department of the Interior. ONRR Budget
The Secretary also controls offshore energy leasing. Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Secretary prepares the national leasing program that decides where and when offshore oil, gas, and renewable energy lease sales happen.8U.S. Department of the Interior. Interior Launches Expansive 11th National Offshore Leasing Program to Advance U.S. Energy The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management currently manages about 2,674 active oil and gas leases covering more than 14.2 million offshore acres.9United States Government Manual. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Few single-official energy decisions carry more weight.
Wildlife and Endangered Species
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports to the Secretary and runs the National Wildlife Refuge System and federal wildlife law enforcement.10U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. National Wildlife Refuge System
One of the Secretary’s more visible statutory powers is administering the Endangered Species Act jointly with the Secretary of Commerce. That includes publishing and maintaining the federal list of endangered and threatened species, designating critical habitat, and developing recovery plans. Changes to how species are listed or how habitat is designated move through the Secretary’s office, and those calls routinely land at the center of land-use and development fights.
Trust Responsibility to Native American Tribes
The federal government’s relationship with tribal nations runs through Interior, and the Secretary is the principal trustee for tribal lands and resources. The trust covers 575 federally recognized tribes, and the Department provides services to roughly 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, established in 1824 and the oldest agency in the Department, manages about 55 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface mineral rights held in trust.11Indian Affairs. About Us
This is a legal obligation, not an administrative courtesy. The BIA works with tribal governments on law enforcement, economic development, governance, and natural resource management, and the trust duty means the Department must protect tribal assets, uphold treaty rights, and support tribal self-determination.12U.S. Department of the Interior. Tribes
Education falls under the Secretary too. The Bureau of Indian Education operates or funds 183 elementary and secondary schools serving about 46,000 students on or near reservations across 23 states.13U.S. Government Accountability Office. Bureau of Indian Education – Greater Progress Needed to Address Remaining Challenges in Supporting and Overseeing Schools
U.S. Territories and the Freely Associated States
A responsibility many people don’t associate with Interior: the Secretary oversees federal policy for four U.S. territories, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus three Freely Associated States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.14U.S. Department of the Interior. Islands We Serve
Through the Office of Insular Affairs, the Department provides technical assistance and grant funding covering financial management, economic development, energy, disaster relief, health, and natural resource protection.15U.S. Department of the Interior. OIA Discretionary Grant Programs
The Bureaus the Secretary Oversees
The Secretary sits atop a set of bureaus with very different missions:
- Bureau of Land Management, administering roughly 245 million surface acres for energy, grazing, recreation, and conservation.4Bureau of Land Management. What We Manage Nationally
- National Park Service, managing 433 park units and more than 85 million acres.5National Park Service. National Park System
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, running the refuge system and enforcing wildlife law.10U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. National Wildlife Refuge System
- Bureau of Reclamation, operating western water infrastructure.6Bureau of Reclamation. Bureau of Reclamation
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, running offshore oil, gas, and renewable leasing.9United States Government Manual. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
- U.S. Geological Survey, the Department’s science agency covering natural hazards, water, energy, minerals, and ecosystems.16U.S. Geological Survey. What Does the USGS (United States Geological Survey) Do
- Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, handling tribal trust responsibilities and school operations.
- Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, regulating surface coal mining and reclamation.
National forests are not on this list. The U.S. Forest Service belongs to the Department of Agriculture, not Interior, so the Secretary of the Interior does not run them, though Interior coordinates with the Forest Service on wildfires that cross jurisdictional lines.
How the Secretary Is Appointed
The President nominates the Secretary, and the Senate confirms by simple majority.17U.S. Senate. About Nominations There is no fixed term; the Secretary serves at the President’s pleasure. The current Secretary, Doug Burgum, was confirmed on January 30, 2025, by a vote of 80–17.18Congress.gov. PN11-3 – Douglas Burgum – Department of the Interior If the Secretary and Deputy Secretary are both unavailable, an order of succession set by Executive Order 13915 designates the Solicitor of the Department as next in line, followed by a series of Assistant Secretaries.19Federal Register. Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of the Interior
As a cabinet member, the Secretary advises the President across the Department’s full portfolio: energy, climate, tribal sovereignty, water rights, public recreation, and species conservation. Few cabinet posts touch so many parts of American life at once.