Organization and a Brief History April 19, 2013

The legal work of the Department of the Interior shall be performed under the supervision and direction of the Solicitor of the Department of the Interior, who shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. 60 Stat. 312 (1946), 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1455

Solicitor’s Office – A Little History 1849 DOI established, included jurisdiction over U.S. Attorneys who handled DOI legal matters DOJ established in 1870, included Assist. AG who oversaw DOI matters 1914 DOI Solicitor established, but remained in DOJ 1926 appropriations for DOI legal work transferred to DOI from DOJ 1946 Office of the Solicitor formally created, 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1466

Solicitor’s Office – A Little History DOI legal work remained decentralized, 257 of 287 attorneys in DOI funded and supervised by bureaus like National Park Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs 1955 DOI legal work, including funding, centralized in Solicitor. Avoid conflicting legal opinions Make attorneys more independent of client Part of Effort to make DOI a more cohesive department Secretary of the Interior is the client – not individual bureaus

Organization Solicitor – Washington D.C. Deputy Solicitors Five major Divisions Headed by career Associate Solicitor Ethics Indian Trust Litigation Office Seven Regional Offices Headed by career Regional Solicitor

Solicitor’s Immediate Office Solicitor – Hilary Tompkins Acting Principal Deputy Solicitor (Energy) – Jack Haugrud Deputy Solicitor (Lands) – Ed Boling Deputy Solicitor (Water) – Fritz Holleman Deputy Solicitor (General Law) – Edward Keable Deputy Solicitor (Indian Affairs) – Patrice Kunesh Deputy Solicitor (Parks & Wildlife) – vacant DOI Ethics Office Indian Trust Litigation Office

Headquarters Divisions Washington, D.C. Division of General Law – Associate Solicitor Acquisitions & Intellectual Property – Assist. Solicitor General Legal Services – Assist. Solicitor Personnel Litigation & Civil Rights – Assist. Solicitor

Headquarters Divisions (cont.) Division of Indian Affairs – Associate Solicitor Environment and Lands – Assist. Solicitor General Indian Legal Activities – Assist. Solicitor Water & Power – Assist. Solicitor

Headquarters Divisions (cont.) Land and Water Resources – Associate Solicitor Environmental Compliance and Response – Assist. Solicitor Public Lands – Assist. Solicitor Water & Power – Assist. Solicitor

Headquarters Divisions (cont.) Mineral Resources – Associate Solicitor Onshore Mining and Reclamation – Assist Solicitor Petroleum Resources – Assist. Solicitor Surface Mining – Assist. Solicitor

Headquarters Divisions (cont.) Parks and Wildlife – Associate Solicitor Environmental Restoration – Assist. Solicitor Fish & Wildlife – Assist. Solicitor National Parks – Assist. Solicitor

Headquarters Divisions (cont.) Division of Administration Information Services Resource Management and Administrative Operations

Seven Regional Offices Alaska (Anchorage) Intermountain (Salt Lake City) + Phoenix Field Office Northeast (Boston) + Pittsburgh and Twin Cities, Minnesota Field Offices Pacific Northwest (Portland) + Boise Field Office Pacific Southwest (Sacramento) + San Francisco Field Office

Regional Offices (cont.) Rocky Mountain (Denver) + Billings Field Office Southeast Region (Atlanta) + Knoxville Field Office Southwest Regional Office (Albuquerque) + Tulsa Field Office

Department of the Interior in Alaska Office of the Secretary – Pat Pourchot, Special Assistant for Alaska Affairs (Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs position in D.C. vacant) Bureau of Indian Affairs – Alaska Region Bureau of Land Management – Alaska State Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Region 7, Alaska National Park Service – Alaska Region

Department of the Interior in Alaska (cont.) U.S. Geological Survey – Alaska Science Center Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) – Alaska Region Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) – Alaska Region Office of Aviation Services (OAS) – Alaska Region

Solicitor’s Office – Alaska Region Located in Anchorage Regional Solicitor – Reports to Deputy Solicitor 8 Attorney – Advisors 2 support staff Paralegal Administrative Assistant

Solicitor’s Office – Alaska Region Geographic coverage of the Alaska Regional Solicitor’s Office matches the DOI bureau regions in Alaska Provides legal counsel to all DOI bureaus in Alaska (except Annette Island Reserve which is handled by Pacific NWR Regional Office out of Portland) Some Attorneys are lead attorneys for particular bureaus, but the size of the office dictates that they can be assigned any matter for any bureau Alaska Region does not have a field office

Solicitor’s Office Coordination w/ Washington, D.C. Headquarters Regional Solicitor is organizationally on par with Associate Solicitor’s in Washington, D.C. Regional Office coordinates with appropriate Deputy and Associate Solicitors on topics of national importance or controversy

Regional Solicitor’s Office Relationship w/ Department of Justice Department of Justice handles all court litigation for DOI U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska 5 Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys for Magistrate Court DOJ Division Environment and Natural Resources Torts Branch of DOJ in Washington, D.C. Appellate Division

Solicitor’s Office – Alaska Region Focus Land Conveyance Alaska Statehood Act Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Alaska Native Allotment Act (Act of 1906) Land and Resource Management Issues National Parks National Wildlife Refuges NPR-A Mining Claims Submerged Lands

Solicitor’s Office – Alaska Region Focus Oil and Gas Development – Onshore & Off Shore NPR-A OCS Subsistence Alaska Natives Lands (ANCSA, Native Allotments, land in trust) Indian Self-Determination Act