Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: August 6, 1999

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

Secretary Babbitt Praises Nomination of Sylvia Baca
as Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today praised President Clinton's intentions to nominate Sylvia V. Baca as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management. Ms. Baca has been serving in that position in an acting capacity since October 1998. The nominee for this position is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

"Ms. Baca is a key member of my leadership team and her experience and knowledge of land management issues will be invaluable in solving the energy, minerals and natural resources management challenges before the Department," said Babbitt. "She has demonstrated a deep commitment to conservation and the responsible development of the nation's natural resources."

Before being tapped October 1998, to serve as Acting Assistant Secretary, Baca was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, the second in charge of a division of the Interior Department that oversees the Minerals Management Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

Ms. Baca joined the Interior Department in 1995, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. She served a seven-month stint (January -August 1997) as Interim Director of the Bureau of Land Management, replacing Acting Director Mike Dombeck when he was appointed Director of the U.S. Forest Service. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration in 1995, she served as Director of Finance and Management of the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was responsible for the fiscal integrity of city assets. Ms. Baca also held several positions in New Mexico State Government, including five years with the Legislative Finance Committee.

A native of New Mexico, Ms. Baca received a Bachelor of University Studies in 1981, and a Master of Public Administration in 1989, from the University of New Mexico.

The Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management has administrative and managerial responsibility for the Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service, and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Management responsibilities for these three bureaus include 270 million acres of onshore public land; operations management for minerals on the 1.4 billion acres of Outer Continental Shelf, to the outer limits of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone; and management of surface mining and reclamation regulatory activities.

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