The new secretary of the interior
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Posted on March 17, 2006
Filed Under Justice, Ecological overshoot, Ecological hope, Fossil fuel dependency, Environmental disasters, Earth spirituality
From Margaret Swedish today:
President Bush has nominated Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne to replace Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior. While environmentalists are glad to see Norton go, they are appalled at this nomination.
On March 16, the Senior Vice President for Political Affairs and Public Education of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Tony Massaro, responded succintly: ”During his career in Congress, Governor Kempthorne earned a paltry 1% lifetime LCV score. Enough said.”
Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, stated in a March 16 press release: “President Bush nominated someone who has consistently opposed protecting public health and public lands.”
The Washington Post said that Bush has chosen “a popular Western Republican with Washington experience and a disputed environmental record to oversee the nation’s parks and public lands.” Said Bush of the nomination, Kempthorne will help “develop the energy potential of federal lands and waters in environmentally sensitive ways.”
One suspects that environmental sensitivity will not exactly be the centerpiece of the program at Interior. Bush and many western Republicans have been anxious to open federal lands to energy and timber industries.
According to the Post: environmental groups “called [the nomination] the latest example of the Bush administration selling out to development and energy industry interests. Environmentalists noted that Kempthorne fought to open national forests to logging, mining, and oil and gas drilling. They said he worked to weaken water safety and endangered species laws.
“‘At a time when these controversial issues need a leader who can find common ground, the president could not have chosen a more divisive nominee,’ said Philip E. Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust.”
If you care about our wilderness, national parks, the remaining natural wonder of this vast land, if you hope these might still be available for the inspiration, joy and wonder of your children and grandchildren, this might be a good time to call your Senators and ask them to oppose this nomination.
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[…] This is particularly noteworthy as the decision comes down from Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, no particular friend of the natural world. The only thing I can figure is that it must be an election year. The National Park Service remains just about the favorite government agency with voters, and in recent years many of those who enjoy our national parks have been complaining about the noise, the pollution, the interruption of pristine beauty and quiet by ATVs, jet skis, helicopters giving tourists aerial views, and more. […]
[…] anti-environment, anti-government regulation ideological orientation. Under the leadership of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, whose nomination back in 2006 outraged environmentalists, the agency has taken a more pro-corporate orientation, as in pro-drilling, pro-oil and gas […]