Donald P. Hodel

Donald Paul Hodel, born on May 23, 1935, is an American public servant who held two senior cabinet positions during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. He served first as United States Secretary of Energy from 1982 to 1985 and then as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1985 until 1989, a period in which he was confirmed by the Senate for his interior appointment. Hodel’s career has spanned public utilities management, federal environmental policy, energy consulting, and leadership roles in evangelical Christian organizations.

Early life and career

Hodel entered the world in Portland, Oregon, as the son of Philip E. Hodel and Theresia R. Brodt Hodel. He pursued higher education at Harvard University before returning to his home state, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon. In 1957, during her senior year at Wellesley College, Barbara Beecher Stockman married Hodel; the couple relocated to Oregon after graduation and raised two sons together. The family’s life was profoundly altered when their elder son died by suicide, an event that prompted both parents to embrace evangelical Christianity. Following this personal tragedy, they became active participants in church ministries and began speaking at evangelical gatherings, including appearances on television programs such as *The 700 Club* with Pat Robertson, *Hour of Power* with Robert Schuller, and broadcasts hosted by Focus on the Family.

Hodel’s professional trajectory entered the public sector through his work at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). He served first as deputy administrator from 1969 to 1972 and then as administrator from 1972 until 1977. In this capacity he oversaw the administration of electric power generated in the Pacific Northwest, including discussions about the future role of nuclear facilities proposed by the Washington Public Power Supply System.

After his tenure at BPA, Hodel continued his federal service as Undersecretary of the Interior under Secretary James Watt from February 1981 to November 1982. His experience in energy and natural resource management led to his appointment as United States Secretary of Energy in 1982, a position he held until 1985.

Cabinet tenure

In 1985 President Ronald Reagan nominated Hodel for the role of United States Secretary of the Interior. The Senate confirmed him, and he served in that capacity through the remainder of Reagan’s second term, concluding his service in 1989. During his interior tenure, Hodel introduced what became known as the “Hodel Policy,” which interpreted disused dirt roads and footpaths as right‑of‑ways under Section 2477 of the Road Act of 1920 (RS 2477). This policy was later continued by Secretary Manuel Lujan Jr. during the administration of President George H. W. Bush and ultimately rescinded in 1997 by Secretary Bruce Babbitt.

Hodel’s time as interior secretary was marked by a number of controversial initiatives and debates over federal land management. Critics challenged his proposals to impose new management policies on extensive portions of federal land, and opposition arose against plans to create large wilderness areas. Despite these challenges, the Reagan administration added more than two million acres (approximately 8,000 km²) to the national wilderness system during this period.

Environmental restoration projects also featured in Hodel’s agenda. He proposed a study on the removal of the O’Shaughnessy Dam within Yosemite National Park and the restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley—an area that had been inundated by the dam. The study was ultimately halted after opposition from Dianne Feinstein, then mayor of San Francisco and owner of the dam.

In July 1985, shortly after assuming office as interior secretary, Hodel met ex parte with a representative of Peabody Coal (now Peabody Energy). The meeting involved discussions about adjusting coal lease royalty rates for the Navajo Nation. Hodel approved amendments that set lower royalty rates than those previously determined appropriate by agencies responsible for overseeing federal relations with Native American tribes. In 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that these actions breached the government’s duty of trust to the Navajo Nation and established a “cognizable money‑mandating claim” against the government under the Indian Tucker Act.

Hodel also addressed climate‑related concerns during his tenure. In 1984, he suggested that instead of reducing chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production to protect the ozone layer, individuals could wear hats and use sunscreen as a protective measure. A spokesman for Hodel later clarified that this suggestion was one of several options presented to the President.

In terms of wildlife conservation, Hodel ordered the acquisition of a ranch in southern Arizona during 1985. The property became the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing roughly 118,000 acres (480 km²) of savanna grassland in the Altar Valley. This refuge was established specifically to protect the masked bobwhite quail and is home to the United States’ only population of this species.

Legacy

After leaving federal office, Hodel relocated to Colorado where he engaged in energy consulting and served on various charitable and corporate boards. He authored *Crisis in the Oil Patch* (Regnery, 1995), reflecting on his experiences in the energy sector. From June 1997 to February 1999, he was president of the Christian Coalition, a nonprofit conservative organization founded by Pat Robertson. Later, between May 2003 and March 2005, Hodel served as president and chief executive officer of Focus on the Family, an evangelical Christian nonprofit; he had previously sat on its board and remained there until October 2005.

Hodel also chaired FreeEats.com (now ccAdvertising), a company that produced automated interactive voice‑response campaigns for conservative causes. In 2026 he published his autobiography, *Called To Serve: My Path to President Reagan’s Cabinet and Beyond* (Peak Press).

In the energy development arena, Hodel founded Summit Power Group Inc., a Seattle-based company focused on wind, solar, and gas‑fired power plants. He remains chairman emeritus of the organization; he had established its predecessor company in 1989 and served as its managing director.

Overall, Donald P. Hodel’s career reflects extensive involvement in federal energy policy, natural resource management, environmental conservation initiatives, and post‑government leadership within evangelical Christian organizations. His tenure in both cabinet positions coincided with significant debates over land use, wildlife protection, and the balance between energy development and environmental stewardship.