Washington ( CNN ) -- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar , who led the response to the 2010 BP oil spill and administered a moratorium on offshore drilling , announced Wednesday that he is stepping down . The former Colorado lawmaker plans to return home in March after eight turbulent and busy years in Washington , four years in the U.S. Senate and four years as head of the Interior Department . President Obama nominated him for the Cabinet post four years ago and he was unanimously confirmed . He was most prominent when he spearheaded the administration reaction to the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico . Salazar issued a six-month drilling moratorium after the April 20 , 2010 , explosion . Critics , including Republican leaders , Gulf state officials and Gulf Coast residents , slammed the ban . They said it would hurt oil and gas workers in the already hard-hit coastal communities , where hundreds of jobs were lost because of the disaster . But Salazar said the moratorium provided time to make sure that similar accidents would n't occur and that rig operators were prepared to deal with worst-case scenarios if they did happen again . Eleven people died in the explosion , which spawned one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history . An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil gushed into the Gulf before the broken well some 4,000 feet below the surface was capped . `` We have undertaken the most aggressive oil and gas safety and reform agenda in U.S. history , raising the bar on offshore drilling safety , practices and technology and ensuring that energy development is done in the right way and in the right places , '' Salazar said in an Interior Department news release announcing his departure . The department has offered millions of acres of offshore acreage in the Gulf for exploration and `` is proceeding with cautious exploration of Arctic resources , '' the release said . It added that the department has leased millions of acres onshore for oil and gas development and has protected `` special landscapes for hunting and fishing . '' `` Today , drilling activity in the Gulf is surpassing levels seen before the spill , and our nation is on a promising path to energy independence , '' said Salazar , who also overhauled Interior 's management of oil and gas resources and installed new ethics standards for employees . Obama 's Cabinet : Who 's in , who 's out ? Salazar also has pursued renewable energy , with his department authorizing 34 solar , wind and geothermal projects on public lands since 2009 , the news release said . Those projects total enough energy to power more than 3 million homes . `` Today , the largest solar energy projects in the world are under construction on America 's public lands in the West , and we 've issued the first leases for offshore wind in the Atlantic , '' Salazar said in the release . `` I am proud of the renewable energy revolution that we have launched . The release also noted progress made during Salazar 's term regarding Native American lands . A settlement was reached and passed that addressed `` long-standing injustices '' involving the government 's trust management . In addition , Obama signed into law water rights settlements that `` help deliver clean drinking water '' to tribes , the release said , and spearheaded a reform of surface leasing regulations for Native American lands . `` President Obama has made it a priority to empower our nation 's first Americans by helping to build stronger , safer and more prosperous tribal communities , '' Salazar said . Obama , in a separate release , said Salazar `` helped usher in a new era of conservation for our nation 's land , water , and wildlife '' and promoted renewable energy along with oil and gas production . He `` played an integral role in my administration 's successful efforts to expand responsible development of our nation 's domestic energy resources '' and made strides in ties with Native Americans . `` I have valued Ken 's friendship since we both entered the Senate in 2005 , and I look forward to receiving his counsel even after he returns to his home state of Colorado , '' the president said . Salazar 's move comes amid criticism over Obama 's second-term Cabinet nominees . He has taken flak because major nominations have gone to white males . White males have been tapped for three prominent Cabinet positions with second-term openings : secretary of state , secretary of defense and secretary of the treasury . One of those posts has been held by a woman , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , while the others have been held by white men . Salazar focused on energizing Hispanics . While Obama 's record of appointing women to top posts does n't differ significantly from that of former President George W. Bush , many take the issue with Obama 's appointments since he ran as a champion of women 's issues during both of his presidential election campaigns , unlike his predecessor . CNN 's Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger reported from Washington . CNN 's Joe Sterling reported from Atlanta .
Salazar is a former U.S. senator from Colorado . He led the administration 's reaction to the 2010 Gulf spill and explosion . Comment: