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Shunning Environmental Groups, Obama Taps Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar for Interior Dept.
We continue our look at Obamas latest cabinet nominations. Co...
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Shunning Environmental Groups, Obama Taps Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar for Interior Dept.
We continue our look at Obamas latest cabinet nominations. Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar has been tapped to head the Department of Interior. Obama chose Salazar despite a campaign by many environmental groups who were pushing the President-elect to choose Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva.
Well, I was pretty disappointed in Salazar being chosen, in part because there were other candidates who were just vastly superior in terms of their progressive stance on environmental issues, their interaction with Department of Interior issues. And particularly with Salazar, I mean, hes got a very mixed record on the environment, at best. Hes been especially weak on global warming issues, you know, voting against higher fuel economy standards, voting against having the Army Corps of Engineers include global warming in its decision-making processes, and has been actually quite hostile to endangered species protection, going so far, as Attorney General, in threatening to sue the US Fish and Wildlife Service for protecting endangered species. And so, while he has had some good environmental votes, I think that the Department of Interior needs someone whos just much more clearly on the side of protecting the environment at this time.
The record there is mixed. You know, on the one hand, he has supported opening up offshore oil drilling in some areas. In other places, particularly in the interior west, he has attempted to slow—not actually stop, but slow some of the Bush administration pushes for opening up more oil drilling. So hes kind of on both sides of the issues there. Its really sort of unclear where his heart lies or where his ultimate commitment is on that regard.
On agriculture issues, I have a real concern. I mean, he comes from an agricultural state. He comes personally from an agricultural background. And what weve seen is, when water issues or endangered species issues in any way suggest that agriculture has to be reformed, he pretty routinely comes down on the side of agriculture. So I think that were going to have a deep conflict there. And frankly, I think hes got a personal conflict of interest, because he, himself, is a farmer and rancher and has shown that he will come down on those sides when there is a conflict.
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