Zinke Sets July Goal For Interior Dept. Reorganization Amid Conduct Scrutiny

The U.S. Interior Department said Thursday it wants to have its newly reorganized regions up and running by July 1. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s plan calls for realigning the department into 12 unified regions and relocating many decision-makers from Washington to field offices. The department has nine major sub-agencies and multiple regional boundaries, many following state borders. The new unified boundaries are based on rivers and ecosystems rather than state borders. Department officials say the reorganization would streamline decision-making and put managers closer to the lands they oversee. Susan Combs, a Zinke adviser who is spearheading the reorganization, said Zinke wants to have a top manager appointed for each of the unified regions by the July 1 target date. No date has been announced for moving any personnel to new locations...MORE