The Department of the Interior manages more than 3.1 million acres of conservation lands in South Florida, including Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, Big Cypress National Preserve and 16 national wildlife refuges, all of which protect habitat found nowhere else. [Mangroves at Everglades National Park/NPS Photo] Hi-Res

Secretary Kempthorne,
Deputy Secretary Scarlett Congratulate Florida on Everglades Announcement

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett congratulated Governor Charlie Crist, the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for announcing their commitment to acquire up to 187,000 acres of U.S. Sugar Corporation land to enhance restoration of the Everglades.

In a press conference in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, the Governor and officials of the South Florida Water Management District announced the principles to guide their commitment with U.S. Sugar Corporation to acquire the land. Scarlett represented the Department of the Interior at the event.

“Acquiring this large swath of land south of Lake Okeechobee will be an historic turning point for the largest watershed restoration project in the world,” Secretary Kempthorne said. “Congratulations to Governor Crist and all the citizens of the state and the nation.”

Following the event, Deputy Secretary Scarlett noted: “This land acquisition commitment is pathbreaking. It will benefit the Everglades National Park and all of southern Florida. The Department of the Interior applauds the leadership of the Governor and the State of Florida for taking this momentous action.” more

• Everglades National Park
• Biscayne National Park
• Big Cypress National Preserve

As U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne looks on, President George W. Bush delivers a statement on energy Wednesday, June 18, 2008, in the Rose Garden of the White House. [White House photo by Luke Sharrett] Hi-Res

Secretary Kempthorne Joins
President Bush in Urging Congress to Expand Domestic Oil Production

President George W. Bush delivered remarks at the White House on Wednesday calling on Congress to help American families by removing barriers to domestic production of oil and gasoline.  "For many Americans, there is no more pressing concern than the price of gasoline," said the President.  "Truckers and farmers and small business owners have been hit especially hard.  Every American who drives to work, purchases food, or ships a product has felt the effect. And families across our country are looking to Washington for a response."

President Bush asked Congressional leaders to move forward with four steps to expand American oil and gasoline production:
1. Increase access to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Experts believe that areas under leasing prohibitions on the OCS could produce about 18 billion barrels of oil.
2. Tap into the extraordinary potential of oil shale.  In one major deposit – the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming – there lies the equivalent of about 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil.  If it can be fully recovered, it would equal more than a century's worth of currently projected oil imports.
3. Permit exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  With a drilling footprint of less than 2,000 acres – about 0.01 percent of this distant Alaskan terrain – America could produce an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil.  This is the equivalent of roughly two decades of imported crude oil from Saudi Arabia.
4. Expand and enhance our refinery capacity.  It has been 30 years since our Nation has built a new refinery, and upgrades in our refining capacity are urgently needed.  Refineries are the critical link between crude oil and the gasoline and diesel fuel that drivers put in their tanks.  America now imports millions of barrels of fully-refined gasoline from abroad, imposing needless costs on American consumers and depriving American workers of good jobs. more

• Read President Bush's Remarks En Español
• Energy Fact Sheet
• Energy for America's Future

About the Department of the interior
The Department of the Interior (DOI) is the nation’s principal conservation agency. Interior is a large, decentralized agency with over 80,000 employees and 180,000 volunteers located at approximately 2,400 operating locations across the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and freely associated states. more
Mission Statement	History
Key Officials	Past Secretaries
Organizational Chart	Quick Facts
DOI In the News	Strategic Plan
DOI en Español	Interior Library
Below are links to some DOI sites that may be of interest:
Water	Science
Floods	Astrogeology at USGS
Supply in the West	Hurricanes
Conservation	Earthquakes
Resources	Energy
Land	Wildlife
Fire	Endangered Species
Maps	Habitats & Conservation
Parks / Refuges / BLM Lands	Wild Horse & Burro Adoption
Offshore Lands/Volcanoes	Duck Stamps
Communities	InfoLinks
Special Trustee	www.HealthyForests.gov
Indian Trust	Avian Influenza Information
Territories and Islands	2005 Hurricane Recovery