The U.S. Interior Department has much to worry about, and perhaps much to answer for, on key questions about how it’s doing its job.
Two weeks ago, Interior’s Inspector General, Earl Devaney, told a congressional committee, “Simply stated, short of a crime, anything goes at the highest levels of the Department of the Interior.”
Devaney was particularly concerned about handling of oil and gas leasing, going back to the Clinton administration in the 1990s, and by the activities of former deputy secretary J. Steven Griles, who was suspected of favoring former lobbying clients.
Flawed Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases signed during the late 1990s may have lost the government more than $1 billion in royalties. And lawsuits pending in Oklahoma City claim the department’s Minerals Management Service has failed to collect full payment of other royalties.
In Wyoming, both outside critics and internal memos say the department’s Bureau of Land Management is failing to enforce environmental standards on energy development around Pinedale.
Such problems will require a strong response from new Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a former Idaho governor, if the department is to repair its credibility and properly fulfill its mission of both conservation and recovering appropriate value from development.
Kempthorne has yet to signal broad policy directions for Interior, but in one area his decisions have been encouraging.
Under his predecessor, Gale Norton, the National Park Service was embroiled in a bitter controversy over whether its management policies should be revised to weaken the traditional primacy of conservation in favor of greater recreational development. A management policy that Kempthorne announced last month wisely maintains conservation as the dominant value.
And the nomination of veteran Park Service manager Mary A. Bomar as NPS director has been greeted with cautious optimism. Key Western senators are predicting quick confirmation of Bomar.
Kempthorne and Bomar face major challenges, including an estimated $5 billion backlog of park maintenance projects. And as the service looks forward to its centennial in 2016, managers will have to face the issue of what the parks mean to the American people in the 21st century. As reported in Monday’s Denver Post, overnight stays in the national parks have been declining for a decade. The Interior Department should commit itself to maintaining and improving the parks in such a way that they will remain an attractive destination for vacationing families and outdoor enthusiasts.
