Publisher's Synopsis
The U.S. Department of the Interior plays an integral role in protecting America's natural resources and heritage, honoring our cultures and tribal communities, and supplying the energy to power our future. Interior's people, programs, and responsibilities impact Americans across all 50 states. The Department is the steward of 20 percent of the Nation's lands, managing national parks, national wildlife refuges, and public lands and assisting States, Tribes, and others in the management of natural and cultural resources. Interior grants access to public lands and offshore areas for renewable and conventional energy development-covering a quarter of the Nation's supplies of oil and natural gas-while ensuring safety, environmental protection and revenue collection for the American public. Interior oversees the protection and restoration of surface mined lands and is also the largest supplier and manager of water in the 17 Western States, assisting others with water conservation and extending water supplies and providing hydropower resources to power much of the Nation. The Department serves as Trustee to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians fulfilling essential trust responsibilities to tribal communities. The Department supports cutting edge research in geology, hydrology, and biology, informing resource management and community protection decisions at Interior and across the world.
