Departmental Overview
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Departmental Overview “As we look ahead to the year 2021, we will continue to advance the President’s priorities for the Department and for the American people, as we work to build our conservation stewardship legacy.” Secretary David Bernhardt February 10, 2020 The Department of the Interior (DOI)’s mission the Department. Investments outlined in the Pres- directly affects Americans across the country. ident’s 2021 budget will allow Interior to advance Interior plays an integral role in conserving Amer- the objectives articulated in Presidential directives. ica’s natural resources and heritage, honoring The 2021 budget advances key Presidential prior- the self-determination of Tribal communities, ities, including DOI’s Plan to Transform the Fire- supplying energy to power the Nation, and deliv- fighting Workforce, investments in active forest ering water in the West. Interior is the steward and rangeland management to better protect com- of 20 percent of the Nation’s lands, managing munities from fire, increased access to broadband national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other in rural areas, advancement of critical minerals public lands and assisting States, Tribes, and other exploration and development, and provision of stakeholders in managing natural and cultural law enforcement needs in Tribal communities. resources. While investing in key areas, this budget also sup- Delivering Interior’s mission creates economic ports the Administration’s broader fiscal objectives benefits for the Nation through both direct invest- through targeted reforms and program reductions. ment and facilitating private-sector activities and In 2021, Interior will continue to make important contributions. According to the Department of the operational reforms—revisiting outdated and Interior’s current Economic Report, in 2018, Inte- redundant processes and regulations, strength- rior’s lands generated roughly $315 billion in total ening Interior’s ethical culture, and transforming economic output across the country. Interior also internal administrative operations to deliver better grants access to public lands and offshore areas service to customers and employees. for conventional and renewable energy develop- ment. In FY 2018, DOI lands and waters produced nearly one-fifth of the Nation’s energy, generating The 2021 Budget roughly $150 billion in economic output, which included $7.9 billion in direct energy revenue dis- The 2021 budget for the Department of the Interior bursements to States and the Treasury. totals $12.8 billion in current authority. Interior President Trump has been clear in his direction continues to have access to an additional $310 mil- and priorities, setting ambitious goals challenging lion in the event of a severe wildland fire season. Federal agencies—through governmentwide Exec- The Department estimates there will be an addi- utive Orders (EOs) and Presidential memoranda— tional $7.5 billion in permanent authority avail- to deliver better results. Interior has worked con- able—including grants and payments—for specific sistently to implement the President’s agenda for activities that do not require annual appropriation. Departmental Highlights | DH-5 Implementing President Trump’s Agenda EO 13766 Expediting Environmental Reviews and EO 13821 Streamlining and Expediting Requests Approvals for High Priority Infrastruc- to Locate Broadband Facilities in ture Projects Rural America EO 13771 Reducing Regulation and Controlling EO 13833 Enhancing the Effectiveness of Agency Regulatory Costs Chief Information Officers EO 13777 Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda EO 13834 Efficient Federal Operations EO 13781 Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing EO 13840 Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, the Executive Branch Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States EO 13783 Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth EO 13855 Promoting Active Management of Amer- ica’s Forests, Rangelands, and Other EO 13784 Establishing the President’s Commission Federal Lands to Improve Conditions and on Combating Drug Addiction and the Reduce Wildfire Risk Opioid Crisis EO 13865 Coordinating National Resilience to EO 13792 Review of Designations Under the Electromagnetic Pulses Antiquities Act EO 13868 Promoting Energy Infrastructure and EO 13795 Implementing an America-First Offshore Economic Growth Energy Strategy October The Presidential Memorandum on Pro- EO 13800 Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Fed- 19, 2018 moting the Reliable Supply and Delivery eral Networks and Critical Infrastructure of Water in the West EO 13807 Establishing Discipline and Accountability EO 13870 America’s Cybersecurity Workforce in the Environmental Review and Permit- ting Process for Infrastructure Projects EO 13898 Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and EO 13817 A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Alaska Natives Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals The 2021 budget continues to prioritize taking • Investing in U.S. energy and critical minerals care of the lands and resources Interior oversees, independence expanding access to those areas for public recre- • Expanding public access to Interior’s lands for ation and enjoyment, and investing to improve the hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation visitor experience at our sites. Funding focuses on delivering Interior’s direct mission activities. • Addressing the problem of missing and mur- dered indigenous people in Indian Country In 2021, Interior proposes several targeted invest- ments to advance specific objectives and deliver • Promoting conservation stewardship focused tangible results, which are described in more detail on recovery and promoting collaborative throughout the Budget in Brief. Those investments partnerships include the following: • Being a good neighbor by continuing support • Bolstering Interior’s capability to address the for Payments in Lieu of Taxes, which are relied wildfire seasons upon by communities across the country • Investing in proactive forest and fuels man- • Implementing important internal reforms in agement activities to reduce wildfire risk regulation and processes, ethics, workplace culture, Freedom of Information Act pro- • Supporting a broadband access initiative to grams, and innovation through administra- expand coverage in rural and Tribal areas tive shared services • Proposing a more sustainable Wild Horse and The President’s 2021 budget carries forward two Burro management strategy significant legislative proposals related to Interior: DH-6 | Departmental Highlights a package of legislative reforms to improve forest decade was double the number from 1980 to 1999. management and reduce wildfire risk; and legisla- The risk from wildfire has increased as more people tion to establish a Public Lands Infrastructure Fund move into communities that are threatened by to address infrastructure needs on our public lands wildfires—areas referred to as the wildland urban and at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools. interface (WUI). Since 1990, the WUI acreage has The budget also proposes new appropriations lan- grown by 40 percent, and now 43 million homes guage in 2021. The 2021 budget establishes a new are in the WUI, an extraordinary increase in risk to indefinite appropriation account to be used to fund the public and in the potential for injury and loss of lease agreements established under the authority life as wildfires encroach on communities. of Section 105(l) of the Indian Self-Determination One of the primary factors driving wildfires is and Education Assistance Act. The account would more accumulated vegetation fueling catastrophic be available to fund Bureau of Indian Affairs wildfire. To address this threat, in 2018, President (BIA) and BIE 105(l) lease agreements. The 2021 Trump issued EO 13855, directing active manage- budget proposes additional legislative language to ment of America’s forests and rangelands as a com- improve the management of these leases through prehensive strategy to reduce wildfire risk. The EO the establishment of standardized procedures for includes specific targets to reduce accumulated receiving and processing lease requests. vegetation and manage a healthy timber manage- The 2021 budget also proposes to amend Section ment program. 419 of Division D of the 2020 Consolidated Appro- Earlier this year, the Department announced priations Act regarding the humane transfer and Interior’s wildland fire achievements in the land treatment of animals managed through the Bureau management bureaus exceeded all of the FY 2019 of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Wild Horse and targets set by President Trump. That tremendous Burro program. Proposed changes would clarify success is due to the strategic implementation plan the bureau’s authority regarding the sterilization carried out by the Department’s Wildland Fire of animals as part of a comprehensive strategy to Management program and the hard work and ded- address the current, unsustainable program. ication of Interior’s wildland fire employees. Protecting Our People and Our Borders The 2021 budget proposes to strengthen DOI’s wildland fire and active management capacity, Protection of public safety, Tribal communities, including DOI’s Plan to Transform the Firefighting and America’s natural and cultural resources is a Workforce to build a more stable and permanent key element of Interior’s natural resource and trust wildland fire workforce better aligned with the mission. This responsibility encompasses a wide challenges of the