Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has called for the agency to double the number of career ethics officials it has on staff, and to unify Interior's 13 disparate bureau programs into a centrally-managed office. The order he issued Wednesday is designed to streamline the reporting structure for ethics personnel, establishes the departmental Ethics Office, and clarifies roles and responsibilities for department’s employees.

“Being a public servant is one of the highest callings a person can undertake, and with this responsibility comes the public’s trust in all of our actions being ethical. Investigations performed by the Department’s Inspector General over the years have highlighted a culture at the Department of the Interior that did not embrace necessary ethical standards, which erodes the public’s faith in our work,” said Bernhardt.  “Transforming the workplace culture at the department is a top priority for me, and my actions today will help ensure the department has a functional and resilient ethics program that facilitates our ability to fully embrace a culture of ethical compliance.”

Scott de la Vega, a career official who serves as the director of the Ethics Office and designated agency ethics official, will oversee ethics operations for the department. Unifying the ethics programs will ensure the DAEO has overall responsibility and authority for the department’s ethics program, including the ethics activities of the bureaus and offices. This will provide accountability and consistency across all components of the department.

“This unprecedented expansion and restructuring of the department’s ethics program is not only necessary, but decades overdue,” said de la Vega.  “The transformation of this critical program into a modern, legally dependable and responsive operation will assist our 70,000 employees in faithfully discharging the duties of their offices with integrity and in compliance with conflict of interest laws and the highest ethical standards.” 

Under the program’s prior structure, the heads of each of the department’s bureaus and offices, rather than the DAEO, operated 13 disparate ethics programs with varying staffing and operational standards, said a release from Interior. At times, some programs operated without any ethics officials in place at all, it added. The new structure will enhance the delivery of ethics services to employees; ensure that program operations are legally sufficient and compliant with ethics laws and regulations; and implement best practices. 

Since 2017, the department has increased the number of full-time, career ethics professionals by 162 percent, nearly doubling the total hired during the entire eight years of the previous administration.