Ken Salazar was confirmed as the 50th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior in a unanimous Senate vote on January 20, 2009. Prior to his confirmation, Salazar served as Colorado's Senator since 2004 and was involved in legislation related to energy, agriculture, and rural communities. As Secretary of the Interior, his responsibilities include overseeing the Interior Department and its mission to conduct independent audits, investigations, and reviews of Department programs and operations.