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Records of the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, 2002-2014 (bulk 2009-2013). Accession 51125, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Transferred on 8 January 2014 by the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources, 1111 East Broad Street, 4th Floor, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.
In 1970, the Governor's Management Commission Study recommended the creation of six "Deputy Governors" to assist the Chief Executive in his managerial duties. Compatible functions of government were grouped under these administrative heads, who would serve as the Governor's top management team. The Office of Secretary of Commerce and Resources was created on April 8, 1972. The Secretary of Commerce and Resources was responsible for assisting the Governor in implementing policies for the conservation and use of natural resources, for promoting economic development, providing managerial guidance and direction to Commerce and Resources agencies, and developing and promoting Commerce and Resources programs and budgets. In 1984 the Secretariat was split into two separate offices, the Secretary of Economic Development and the Secretary of Natural Resources.
The Secretary of Natural Resources is a member of the Governor's Cabinet, and is appointed by the governor, and is subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The Secretary of Natural Resources was responsible for the direction of, or had jurisdiction over, the following state agencies and boards: Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Department of Historic Resources, Marine Resources Commission, Museum of Natural History, and the Virginia Council on Indians. The Secretary of Natural Resources also served as the chairman of the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, and was a Board Member of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Additionally, the Secretary of Natural Resources was responsible for many smaller boards and commissions related to water control, pollution, rivers, waste management, and other environmental and recreational issues.
Douglas W. Domenech was appointed Secretary of Natural Resources in January 2010 and served for the entire administration of Governor Robert F. McDonnell. Maureen Matson served as Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources; Sara Benghauser served as Assistant Secretary of Natural Resources; and Anthony Moore served as Deputy Secretary for Chesapeake Bay Restoration.
Records, 2002-2014 (bulk 2009-2013), created and maintained by Secretary of Natural Resources, Douglas W. Domenech, during the administration of Governor Robert F. McDonnell (2010-2014). The records include agendas, correspondence, decision briefs, memorandum, presentations, programs, reports, studies, and other working papers. There is correspondence and subject files that relate to Secretary Domenech, the state agencies that he oversees, environmental organizations that operate in Virginia, and projects initiated by Governor McDonnell. Legislative files contain material related to bills that were either under the purview of the Secretary of Natural Resources or upon which the Secretary wished to comment.
Wherever possible, the original order of the files has been maintained.
This collection is arranged into the following series:
Series I: Correspondence and Supporting Documentation, 2002-2014; Series II: Decision Memoranda and Briefs, 2010-2013; Series III: Legislative Files, 2007-2013; Series IV: Public Relations, Activities, and Visits, 2010-2013.Series I: Correspondence and Supporting Documentation, 2002-2014 (bulk 2009-2013), is housed in eighteen boxes and arranged alphabetically by folder title. Included is correspondence, manuals, minutes, memorandum, publications, reports, studies, surveys, and other related materials. Of note are the files related to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay including board meeting minutes, correspondence, memorandum, publications, reports, and strategic plans for Phase I and Phase II of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan. Also of note are the files on the FMFADA (Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority). The 2005 BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission) closed the military facilities on Fort Monroe and the FMFADA was created to establish a Reuse Plan for Fort Monroe when it was reverted to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The files include agreements, correspondence, environmental impact studies, manuals, meeting minutes, memorandum, reports, and other sundry materials.
Included are files regarding the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and the Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2009 (S. 1178). Also included is a file regarding the establishment of The Hand Site historical highway marker for the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indians of Southampton County, Virginia. Other files include federal projects such as energy efficiency and offshore wind; land and easement acquisitions by the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation; Governor's Commission on Economic Development and Job Creation; uranium mining; Smith Mountain Lake shoreline management; oyster management; and invasive species, among others.
Series II: Decision Memoranda and Briefs, 2010-2013, is housed in six boxes and arranged alphabetically by folder title. This series includes correspondence, decision briefs, memorandum, requests, and other related materials. Included are decision tracking sheets with attached correspondence or memoranda detailing the topics. Also included are critical hiring requests for the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, Dept. of Environmental Quality, Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries, Dept. of Historic Resources, Marine Resources Commission, and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Series III: Legislative files, 2007-2013, is housed in twenty boxes and arranged alphabetically by folder title. This series includes agendas, budget materials, conference programs, correspondence, memorandum, newsclippings, presentations, press releases, reports, studies, and other sundry materials. Many of the records in this series contain information on various natural resources-related projects and issues, while other files contain agency-specific administrative information, general correspondence (including a limited amount of constituent correspondence), agency strategic plans, and meeting material, including agendas, print-outs of presentations, and minutes. Topics include energy, offshore wind, uranium mining, water conservation, and others. Of note are several folders relating to Offshore Wind Energy and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). There is much overlap between the Offshore Wind and OCS files. The Federal government awarded Virginia with an OCS oil and gas lease sale in March of 2010 but later cancelled the sale.
Included are legislative action summaries which often contain a summary of the bill; a summary of constituents who would be affected; the recommendation of the agency within the Secretary of Natural Resources as to whether the Governor should sign, veto, or amend the bill; and the recommendation of the Secretary as to whether the Governor should sign, veto, or amend the bill. Legislative action summaries are also included in other series.
Also included are correspondence and subject files relating to the state agencies that are overseen by the Secretary of Natural Resources: the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Marine Resources Commission, and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Series IV: Public Relations, Activities, and Visits, 2010-2013, is housed in three and a half boxes and with general materials arranged to the front. This series includes agendas, directions, event schedules, invitations, newsclippings, and other sundry materials. The bulk of the series include invitations to Douglas W. Domenech and Maureen Matsen.