February 25, 2016 | 5:00 PM
Speaker: Jim Lyons
Deputy Assistant Secretary Land and Minerals Management Department of the Interior
Jim Lyons joined the Department of the Interior in July, 2013 as Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. Earlier this year, Jim became the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management where he focuses on issues associated with public lands management, energy development, forestry, wildlife and landscape-level conservation.
During his tenure at Interior, Lyons has focused on efforts to develop a west wide strategy to conserve the Greater Sage-Grouse. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is under court order to determine whether or not to list the species as threatened or endangered by the fall of 2015. In addition, Lyons is heavily involved in developing and implementing Secretary Jewell's secretarial order on landscape-scale mitigation, which includes working closely with her on strategies to promote resource conservation and sustainable development, in addition to promoting commercial-scale wind, solar and geothermal on public lands.
Lyons served as USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment during the Clinton administration, when he played a key role in the Forest Service's 2001 Roadless Rule, the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, and in development of new policies and programs for the conservation of public and private lands. Lyons led efforts to develop some of the first regional ecosystem assessments as a foundation for improving public land management across the West. He also advanced new rules for management of the national forests.
Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Lyons was a member of the senior staff of the Committee on Agriculture in the U.S. House of Representatives where he played a lead role in the development of the conservation and forestry titles of the 1990 Farm Bill. He also served as an advisor to then Congressman Leon Panetta.
Lyons, who holds a Master's degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, also continues to serve as a Lecturer and Research Scholar on the Yale faculty where he continues to teach part time.