Department of the Interior (Dracul)
 Seal of the Dracul Department of the Interior | |
 Flag of the Dracul Department of the Interior | |
 Secretary Charles Ross | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 1, 2020 |
| Dissolved | May 2021 |
| Type | Cabinet level Department |
| Headquarters | Bran District, Dracul |
| Employees | 6 (2020) |
| Annual budget | $30 (2021) |
| Agency executives | |
| Website | Draculgov.com/Interior |
The Dracul Department of the Interior is a cabinet level department within the Commonwealth of Dracul responsible for the conservation and management of Dracul's vast federal lands and waterways. A part of the executive branch of government, the Department of the Interior reports directly to the President of Dracul. The Interior is headed by a Secretary who oversees various sub-departments handling a number of more specific roles including; wildlife protection, land administration and energy consumption. These various sub-departments employ a number of agents and inspectors who oversee the implementation of policy set by the Secretary.
The Department is the newest of Dracul's cabinet posts having been established in February 2020.
History
The Department of the Interior was founded on the first of February 2020. Originally headed by Lori Vega, the Department was initially created to oversee the management and upkeep of Dracul's physical territory, as well as settle land disputes within the Commonwealth. However, this arrangement soon proved to be too vague for the Department, which quickly fell into inactivity. Because of this, the Interior began to be considered by many as an unneeded and ineffective organization. This negative attention eventually led to the dismissal of Vega (who had likewise grown inactive within the government), and the appointment of Charles Ross as Secretary of the Interior.
Since the appointment of Ross in December 2020, the Department has increased it's scope to cover the individual areas of not only land management, but of wildlife and water conservation. Additionally, since early 2021, the department has taken greater steps into Dracul's energy sector, operating the nation's leading committee on energy usage.
Duties
The primary duties of the Interior range, however in general the department is tasked with overseeing all land and federally controlled natural resources within the Commonwealth of Dracul. This function is upheld through public education, community events, volunteer work and other scientific endeavors (including expeditions and survey missions conducted using drones). The department also designates national sites of interest; such as National Parks, National Monuments and National Forests.
Licences
The Interior issues various licences and certificates to government agencies, individuals and organizations within Dracul. These can vary from fishing licences, to energy production certifications, to environmental certificates. All of these, are for the most part issued by the various agencies and bureaus which make up the Department of the Interior.
Structure
The Department of the Interior is sub-divided into various agencies and sub-agencies, each tasked with overseeing a specific aspect of the Interior. The three main agencies are; the Land Administration Agency, the Wildlife Protection Bureau and, the Dracul Energy Commission. Each of these offices are headed by an administrator who reports to and serves at the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior. These various agencies are further subdivided into smaller divisions who handle more minute aspects of the department.
Land Administration
The Land Administration Agency (often abbreviated to LAA) is an agency within the Department of the Interior. The LAA serves as the primary regulatory body regarding the administration over all private and federal land within Dracul. This extends to National Parks, National Monuments and to the various bodies of water in the nation. The Land Administration Agency serves to settle disputes between land holders in Dracul and to maintain the beauty of the nation. This is done through active anti-vandalism and anti-littering campaigns which often utilize volunteers. The LAA employs inspectors who are tasked with walking through Dracul and identifying/reporting any discovered vandalism to Dracul and macronational authorities (usually within the city of Houston, Texas). Besides land, the LAA holds exclusive ownership over all Dracul water rights and therefor is also tasked with ensuring that the water remains accessible and plentiful within the Commonwealth. To achieve this, the LAA often works closely with the Draculian Military and the Wildlife Protection Bureau. The current Director of Land Management is Melinda Billard.
Wildlife Protection
The Wildlife Protection Bureau (often abbreviated to WPB or shortened to Wildlife Protection) is an agency within the Department of the Interior. It is primarily tasked with insuring the ecological stability of Dracul and with keeping tabs on and therefor safeguarding the various flora and fauna within the nation. This is accomplished through two sub-sections of the bureau; those being the Wildlife Rangers and the Ecological Inspectors.
The Wildlife Rangers are tasked with going out into the field and actively engaging in conservation efforts within Dracul. These can range from assisting the Land Administration Agency with trash pickup, to flying unmanned survey flights over the vast deserts, plains, hills and lakes of Dracul to view and track migration patterns of the Commonwealth's various species. The Rangers also help with keeping invasive species out through close observation and by reporting any dangerous or disruptive plants/animals to Dracul and macronational authorities. Finally, the Rangers are responsible for the issuance of fishing licences to Dracul citizens who wish to fish in the nation's various bodies of water.
The Ecological Inspectors on the other hand, are tasked with measuring Dracul's impact on the environment. This is done through monitoring the impact left by humans in Dracul be it through automobiles, pollution or man-made accidents. The findings of the Inspectors are then passed on to the various government agencies and departments within Dracul. Finally, the Ecological Inspectors are tasked with issuing certification to government operated equipment such as boats, cars, trucks, aircraft, or any other such asset to insure that it complies with the current environmental standards of Dracul.
Both the Wildlife Rangers and the Ecological Inspectors utilize volunteers occasionally for their duties. They also closely work with other government departments, agencies and bureaus. The current Director of Wildlife Protection is Hanan Hayes.
Energy Commission
The Dracul Energy Commission (often abbreviated to DEC or shortened to Energy Commission) is an agency within the Department of the Interior. The Commission serves as Dracul's regulatory body on energy consumption and as such, is responsible for researching and coming up with policies aimed at regulating Dracul's energy sector and ensuring that Dracul makes the most of available energy resources within the nation. The DEC is made up of a volunteer body of Draculians from both the private and government sectors who meet on a semi-regular basis to discuss policy and vote on recommendations which are subsequently forwarded to the rest of the Dracul government and later, to the people at large.
Due to the volunteer nature of the commission, the only permanent member (and therefor the only true Interior official) within the Energy Commission is the Commissioner; who chairs meetings and furthermore schedules them. The Commissioner is also tasked with submitting passed recommendations to the various departments and agencies within the Dracul government and for selecting and dismissing commission members.
In times when the commission is not in session or cannot be in session, the Commissioner has the ability to make executive rulings regarding Dracul's energy consumption and is the primary authority regarding matters of that nature. The Commissioner is appointed by and serves as the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior. The current Energy Commissioner is David Atobaje.
Secretary
The Secretary of the Interior serves as the head of the Department of the Interior. A cabinet level position, the Secretary is responsible for not only overseeing the Department of the Interior, but of reporting directly to the President of Dracul, all matters regarding land management, conservation, natural resource management and, environmental protection. This information, the Secretary collects from teams of subordinates who work for them within the various agencies and bureaus that make up the Department. All of these agencies are allowed to operate (for the most part) autonomously with their heads being picked by the Secretary. However, if they so choose, the Secretary can overrule any decision made by these heads and can for any reason, take control over, and implement policies within their departments. In addition to this, the Secretary is tasked with setting policy for the internal operation and management for Dracul's vast federal lands (of which, roughly 75% falls under the Interior). The Secretary is also tasked with coming up with and subsequently managing the Department of the Interior's annual budget. Finally, when instances of territorial dispute come into question (such as another nation claiming Draculian territory, or a disagreement over borders between states, including Bran District, and either themselves or the federal government) the Secretary of the Interior is the final say within Dracul and is tasked with settling such matters (often with the assistance of the Dracul State Department when it comes to other nations claiming Dracul territory).
The Secretary of the Interior is appointed directly by the President of Dracul and as such, solely reports to and is subject to the same. Due to this, the Secretary serves an indefinite term at the discretion of the President. The office was first held by Lori Vega until 7 December 2020 when Vega was dismissed by President Dmitri Howie under the advice of Vice President Stephen Luke. Under the recommendation of Vice President Luke, Charles Ross was appointed and subsequently confirmed as the new Secretary of the Interior, an office he still presently holds.
Deputy Secretary
The Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior serves as the next in line to the Secretary role and assumes the position in acting if the Secretary is unavailable, resigns, or is in any other way removed from office. In such instances, the Deputy Secretary holds the powers of the Secretary temporarily until either the old Secretary re-assumes power, a new Secretary is appointed by the President of Dracul or, the Deputy Secretary is confirmed as the new Secretary by the President of Dracul. In day-to-day matters, the Deputy Secretary serves under the Secretary and is tasked with overseeing minor decisions within the department. As such, the Deputy Secretary is privy to all information given to the Secretary and is allowed into all Department of the Interior internal meetings. The position of Deputy Secretary of the Interior is currently held by LAA Director Melinda Billard.
Directors
The various agencies under the Department of the Interior are headed by Director level administrators. Though they may vary in title, all are subservient to the Secretary and can have their decisions overturned by the same. The primary job of the Directors are to administer the various day-to-day activities of the bureaus and agencies within the Interior.
- Director of Land Administration: Melinda Billard
- Director of Wildlife Protection: Hanan Hayes
- Energy Commissioner: David Atobaje