The U.S. Interior Department is undergoing a reorganization that the agency says will improve coordination of resources and simplify recreation guidelines, conservation and federal permitting for Americans.

The change could impact motorcycling in a number of ways, from responsible recreational access to how permits are acquired for competition events on government land.

The agency plan divides the nation into a dozen “unified regions” that officials say will “allow important decisions to be made closer to where our stakeholders and intergovernmental partners live and work.”

The stated intent of the reorganization is to simplify operations and improve services.

Teams will be formed in each region to focus on each of six specified areas: collaborative conservation, recreation, permitting, acquisition, human resource management and information technology management.

“Consolidating and reorganizing could reduce jurisdictional infighting and make it easier for citizens to plan events, get permits and meet insurance requirements,” said AMA Vice President of Industry Relations Jim Williams.

However, consolidation may also have the reverse effect in the long term, Williams added.

“The streamlined structure may allow bureaucrats to exert more top-down control through region-specific edicts rather than broader efforts that would have to justify large-scale ecosystem management,” he said.

More information is available at www.doi.gov. Search for “DOI Reorganization”.