Donald Paul Hodel was born on May 23, 1935, and received his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. In the Reagan administration, Hodel served as Secretary of Energy (1982–1985), and as Under Secretary and then Secretary of Interior (1985–1989). During his tenure as Secretary of Interior, Hodel worked to increase domestic energy production through the expansion of off-shore drilling, with the conviction that an improvement of the environment and an adequate energy supply are not conflicting priorities. Hodel also supported the restoration of the flooded Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. A Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial series in the Sacramento Bee newspaper in 2004 gave Hodel, along with a team of scientists who studied the issue, credit for figuring out the science of restoring the valley. The issue is still actively debated today.