The Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment, or USA(NRE), is a high-ranking official in the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

and the principal advisor to the

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

on policy to promote the conservation and sustainable use of the Nation's natural resources. The Under Secretary is appointed by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

with the consent of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to serve at the pleasure of the President. The current Under Secretary is

Homer Wilkes Homer Lee Wilkes is an American conservationist and government official from Mississippi. In 2021, Wilkes was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as under secretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment. Early life and ed ...

as of February 11, 2022.

Overview

The Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment promotes the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources on the Nation's private lands and sustains production of all the goods and services that the public demands of the national forests. The Under Secretary is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

and

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners an ...

. With the rank of ''Under Secretary'', the USC(NRE) is a Level III position within the

Executive Schedule Executive Schedule () is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions, most with the advice and co ...

. Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $165,300.

Reporting officials

Officials reporting to the USA(NRE) include: *Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment - Forestry *Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment - Natural Resources *Chief of the Forest Service **

References

External links

The website of Natural Resources and EnvironmentThe biography of Robert Bonnie
{{USDA agencies