US Sec. of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Jan. 16 that he plans to leave his position by Mar. 31 to return to his home state of Colorado, having fulfilled his 4-year promise to President Barack Obama.
Salazar supervised an overhaul of DOI’s management of the Minerals Management Service into three agencies. Salazar also played a key role in the government’s response to the deepwater Macondo oil well blowout and resulting spill in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana.
“We have undertaken the most aggressive oil and gas safety and reform agenda in US history, raising the bar on offshore drilling safety, practices, and technology and ensuring that energy development is done in the right way and in the right places,” said Salazar. “Today, drilling activity in the gulf is surpassing levels seen before the spill, and our nation is on a promising path to energy independence.”