Highlights
Why it matters: The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is the single most important federal agency to sportsmen and women. DOI is responsible for access and conservation on federal lands including National Wildlife Refuges, National Fish Hatcheries, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service, among others. Collectively, DOI manages more than 450 million acres of public land. Additionally, DOI houses the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is focused entirely on conserving, protecting, and restoring fish, wildlife, plants, and their associated habitats.
On April 14, President Biden announced his intention to nominate Tommy Beaudreau to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). In early May, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to report Mr. Beaudreau’s nomination to the full Senate for further consideration on an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 18-1.
Prior to being nominated by President Biden, Beaudreau served as Chief of Staff at DOI under former Secretary Sally Jewell. He has also served as the first Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and as Acting Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management. Now that he is confirmed, Beaudreau will help oversee the management of more than 70,000 employees and more than 450 million acres of public land, which support a wide array of activities including hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting.
“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation applauds the actions of the Senate to confirm Mr. Tommy Beaudreau as the next Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior,” said CSF President and CEO Jeff Crane. “CSF looks forward to working with Deputy Secretary Beaudreau to further advance conservation priorities for America’s sportsmen and women within the Department of the Interior.”
Mr. Beaudreau will be officially sworn in at a later date before he takes over as the Deputy Secretary.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
