This new policy from the Secretary of the Interior may cause massive disruption for projects across the country. I apologize for the terrible cute and paste. --David Duffy
APR 12 *2017* *To: Assistant Secretaries* *Heads of Bureaus and Office Directors* *From: Secretary* *Subject: *Managing Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Other Significant Decisions A hallmark of my management of the Department of the Interior (Department) will be empowering local managers to make responsible decisions. Local managers are closest to the public we serve and to the precious resources we manage on their behalf. I also have a duty to learn about the Department's operations as I take the helm of the ship. Only by understanding the varied operations will I be able to lead this great Department in fulfilling its important mission on behalf of the American people. The Department annually distributes $5.5 billion in grants and cooperative agreements to a variety of grantees and cooperators to advance mission objectives. In order to help me to understand the immense impact grants and cooperative agreements have on the mission delivery of the Department, I am directing implementation of the following temporary procedures for processing grants and cooperative agreements: Effective immediately, bureau heads and office directors will use the attached template to report all planned Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 grants and cooperative agreements of $100,000 or more *before* final award. The reports should be submitted through the Assistant Secretaries to Mr. James Cason, who has been delegated the authority of the Deputy Secretary. The Office of Acquisition and Property Management will assist Mr. Cason in reviewing these reports. No grants should be awarded until the review has been completed. You will be notified about your clearance to proceed with awards following this review. In addition, to better assess the overall functioning of the Department's critical programs: Each bureau head and office director shall ensure that their office obtains proposed records of decisions (RODs) and uses the attached template to report on proposed decisions prior to issuance. Proposed decisions that are not termed "ROD" but have nationwide, regional, or statewide impact shall also be reported using the template. All reports should be submitted to Mr. Cason. A decision should not be issued until he has reviewed the report and provided clearance. The above procedures are temporary and are being implemented to assist me in understanding how we make important decisions to advance the mission of the Department, assess how we are aligning our grants and cooperative agreements to Department priorities, and to assure coordination with the Office of Communications for significant announcements. The review and processing of grants, cooperative agreements, and RODs will return to their regular order as soon as possible. -- David Duffy 戴大偉 (Dài Dàwěi) Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit/Makamakaʻāinana Botany University of Hawaii/*Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi* 3190 Maile Way Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA 1-808-956-8218
