1910 The Bureau of Mines is created to promote mine safety and minerals technology.
1916 President Wilson signed legislation creating The National Park Service.
1920 The Mineral Leasing Act establishes the government's right to rental payments and
royalties on oil, gas, and minerals production.
1925 The Patent Office is transferred to the Department of Commerce.
1930 The Bureau of Pensions is transferred to the Veterans Administration.
1934 The Taylor Grazing Act is enacted to regulate economic uses of public lands. The first
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp is issued. The Indian Reorganization Act abolishes the
allotment system established in 1887, forms tribal governments, and affirms the
Secretary's trust responsibilities. Oversight of Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and
Puerto Rico is transferred to Interior.
1935 The Bureau of Reclamation completes construction of Hoover Dam.
1940 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is created from the Bureau of Fisheries and the
Bureau of Biological Survey.
1946 Interior's General Land Office and Grazing Service are merged into the Bureau of Land Management.
1950-1951 Interior assumes jurisdiction over Guam, American Samoa, and the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
1977 The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is established to oversee
state regulation of strip coal mining and repair of environmental damage.
1980 The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act is enacted adding 47 million acres
to the National Park System and 54 acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System.
1982 The Minerals Management Service is established to facilitate mineral revenue collection
and manage the Outer Continental Shelf offshore lands.
1993 The President convened the Northwest Forest Plan Summit and released the "Forest
Plan for a Sustainable Economy and Sustainable Environment."
1996 Interior science and technology functions are consolidated in the U.S. Geological
Survey.
2001 Gale A. Norton is nominated the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Interior.
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