The Job of Secretary of Interior

This week outgoing Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton signed the papers that made Graceland an official National Historic Landmark. She's got a busy job, no doubt, but I'm sure she jumped at the opportunity to do something fun in a job typically surrounded by controversy. The Department of Interior is in charge of the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, US Geological Survey, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land management. Those agencies collectively manage nearly 1/5th of all land in the United States. Between oilmen, farmers, conservationists, and recreationists, any policy change in one of those agencies will ruffle someone's feathers. No matter what your political position may be, you must admit, this must be one tough job.

Bloomberg has an article "From Brothel Owner to Park Ranger, Interior Secretary Roams Far" which looks a bit at what the job is all about. It is not a totally "hard hitting" piece, but there are some bits in there that are interesting, including some stories from the lighter side. The article ends with a telling quote from Sierra Club conservation director Bruce Hamilton:

It's a very bruising job. You are in the hot seat for some of the most contentious issues in American society.