Highlights
Why it matters: The 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 Department of the Interior, and last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing to consider Mr. Beaudreau’s nomination.
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. Beaudreau currently works in private practice.
In advance of Mr. Beaudreau’s hearing, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and more than 30 partners in the sporting conservation community sent a letter in strong support of Beaudreau’s nomination to serve as the next DOI Deputy Secretary.
If confirmed, Beaudreau would serve in the number two position at DOI under Secretary Deb Haaland and would oversee the management of more than 70,000 employees. Additionally, Beaudreau would help manage a wide range of DOI programming, including energy and mineral development, livestock grazing, conservation activities, and of course, hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting activities.
Mr. Beaudreau’s nomination will need to be scheduled for an approval vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee before his nomination can be considered by the full Senate.
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?
