Ken Salazar : Interior Secretary

WASHINGTON — A transition official for President-elect Barack Obama says Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar will be named Interior Secretary later this week.

The appointment will round out Obama's environment and energy team. He unveiled most of the team on Monday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting Obama's upcoming announcement.

Salazar is a first-term Colorado Senator who has established a name for himself on public lands and energy resources issues. He headed the Colorado Natural Resources Department from 1990 through 1994. The Interior Department has broad oversight over the nation's energy resources and environment. It oversees oil and gas drilling on public lands and manages the nation's parks and wildlife refuges.

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Associated Press Writer Liz Sidoti in Washington reported on this story.

Comments

[dubster]

A superb choice! Although I hate to see him leave the Senate thus quickly because Colorado is a swing state and doesn't mean he'll be supplanted with a Democrat when his seat comes up for reelection in 2010.

[harrymellon]

Another right wing dem???? Looks like Obama was lying through his teeth to us just to get elected. Cheney even approves of him now. Obama was groomed to be prez a while ago probably to get the public to go along with this mind control op. He was chosen to trick us into the new world order. Say goodbye to protecting the environment.

[DianeTreehugger]

Very disappointed in this pick. A rancher overseeing the federal lands in the West? Fox watching the henhouse. Cattle grazing on federal lands have destroyed riparian areas vital to the ecosystem and other wildlife, not to mention that they pay next to nothing for the right to destroy land that belongs to all of us. Ask someone in Montana or Colorado how nice it is to have worthless invasive plants, that no herbivores will eat (not even cattle) and that provide no wildlife value, covering the plains and foothills because cattle have overgrazed the land. I can only hope Salazar executes his post in a way that makes me change my mind. But he isn't 'one of us', and after eight years of war on our wildlands, I was hoping for better. The fact that he backed Norton sends a sad, sad, chill up my spine.

[mergina]

Wasn't he in Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Cernunous nice cherry picking here is a more comprehensive view on his record on conservation. A bit mixed but high scores from most important groups on conservation and the environment.

American Wilderness Coalition 100 percent

American Wind Energy Association 100 percent

2008 Senator Salazar supported the interests of the Environment America 90 percent in 2008

70 to 80 percent rating with League of Conservation voters.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 60 to 73 percent

American Land Rights Association mixed results from 40 to 86 percent.

I know you like the hyperbole people with an agenda from two groups people never heard of but here are more real facts.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I forgot to credit MomfromTexas for the info.

[Durango]

You ought to talk to someone from Colorado, not Texas.

After all, he is OUR senator.

And not bad for a Republican.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

This is a great pick to reform the DOI. Did everyone forget the scandals at the DOI already?

Salazar was CO AG and a natural to reform a tainted department.

Salazar also started a Environmental Crimes Unit in CO and is a a huge proponent of wind energy and has done a great job negotiating water rights which will be one of the biggest challenges the DOI has to face with climate change, especially in the West.

Again Obama is 10 steps ahead of you. The rest of Obama's environmental team are the progressives that will take on most environmental issues but Salazar was selected to bring back the integrity of the DOI.

[Cernunous]

Did you happen to read the post below, in re. Salazar's backing of Gail Norton? Great pick? Geesh!

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Yup she let everyone down including him I'm sure. That's why he wants to clean it up.

[Cernunous]

Here's what wildlife and wildland conservation organizations are saying about the Colorado Cowboy:

"The Department of the Interior desperately needs a strong, forward looking, reform-minded Secretary," said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, "unfortunately, Ken Salazar is not that man. He endorsed George Bush's selection of Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior, the very woman who initiated and encouraged the scandals that have rocked the Department of Interior. Virtually all of the misdeeds described in yesterday's Inspector General expose occurred during the tenure of the person Ken Salazar advocated for the position he is now seeking."

From: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2008/salazar-12-16-2008.html

“Ken Salazar does not bring the change we need at Interior,” stated Nicole Rosmarino of WildEarth Guardians. “Salazar will not take strong stances on behalf of science and environmental protection and is not up to the task of undoing the enormous damage the Bush administration has done to public lands, endangered species, and the credibility of the Department of the Interior over the last 8 years.”

From: http://www.wildearthguardians.org/library/paper.asp?nMode=2&nLibraryID=688

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

LOL never heard of either one of these groups.

[Cernunous]

Really? Did you hear about the listing of the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act? Then you have heard of the Center for Biological Diversity.

[Metoyer]

Chuckling over your own ignorance? No wonder you are challenged when it comes to this issue. The Center for Biological Diversity sues the government on a regular basis. Wolves, Polar Bears, Kangaroo Rats. Check them out: www.biologicaldiversity.org .

[Madampotential]

I think he will be progressive on enviromental issues... so what if he is a moderate. He is clearly with the dems on the issue of conservati­on...

In 1986, Salazar became chief legal counsel to then Governor Roy Romer; in 1990, Romer appointed him to his Cabinet as Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. In this position, he authored the Great Outdoors Colorado Amendment, which created a massive land conservation program of which he became chairman. Salazar also created the Youth in Natural Resources program to provide for environmental education in public schools. In his cabinet role, he established reforms that forced mining and oil operatons to better protect the surrounding environmen­t.[4]

[Durango]

In his position as Governor romers Director of Natural resources he presided over the collapse and bankruptcy of the Summitteville Mine in SSW Colorado.

By failing to act in a timely manner Salazar allowed the mine owner, a Canadian no less, to escape the cleanup costs.

Which amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars, and still continue today. And are being paid by the Federal taxpayer.

[IdahoEnviro]

Salazar is NOT the person we need as SOI. Cattle Ranchers have destroyed vast landscapes across the west and Salazar is a rancher. Nothing good can come of having a rancher running the BLM, Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, etc. This is a very, very poor choice. He should have chosen Grijalva.

[NYRalf]

This pick is not about making Salazar Interior Secretary, its about getting him out of the Senate. He would have likely been an impediment to Obama on some legislation.

Brilliant pick imo.

[kingmiller]

Amazing how quick we are to judge every single Obama appointment before the man is even sworn in or his appointees vetted and confirmed. Why don't we all just go outside and take some air. It is painfully obvious that my progressive brothers and sisters are without any real sense of patriotism, otherwise we would let the man we all elected do what he has set out to do, and stop trying to handcuff him at every turn. No one will be 100% satisfied or dissatisfied with the President Elect's choices. This is called democracy and government. But let's give the guy and his actors a friggin' chance before we all rush to judgement. Seriously! I mean, what do any of you know about Salazar anyway? Or Susan Rice or any of his appointees, other than what you've googled?! I didn't elect Obama to rule be concensus, I elected him to lead! And believe it or not, you idiots, that is exactly what he is doing. Obama is the change we seek. So let's at least wait until he's actually the President before we all go off half cocked on one decision or another, without even seeing how it plays out. RELAX!!!

[cblcar]

Well said. Thank you.

[HansB]

Actually, taken together your progressive brothers and sisters seem pretty happy with Obama's environment/energy picks (as much as they were disappointed with his foreign policy picks).

And, isn't it possible that Obama's more recent and progressive picks were at least in part influenced by the criticism of his earlier more conservative picks? I'm not sure making oneself heard helps, but I don't see how it can hurt.

[nogimmicks]

You sound like Dick Cheney, - trust me, no discussion, no criticism. Ken Salazar voted against an amendment to repeal tax breaks for big oil, drilling, supported Lieberman against Lamont.

[GeorgeP922]

Any statement by Evan Bayh yet?

Im sure he is devestated he lost one of the BushDog Dems he needed to make his 6 person club look big.

So with Salazar out of the picture, it leaves Bayh, Webb, Warner, Lieberman.

Pretty thin Bayh, pretty thin.

Again thank you Obama, for proving you are as partisan as we voted for.
Instead of purging your enemies you have made them ineffectual by taking away their power.

[who38]

Carper isn't part of that group? Or Nelson from Florida?

[Metoyer]

George, it seems to me that Secretary of the Dept. of The Interior is a more powerful job than that of U.S, Senator. Otherwise, Salazar would turn the appointment down.

[Durango]

You have tremendous power over the Federal Government in the West.

Everything from pork barrel dams, which Ken Salazar is particularly fond of, to National Parks to Indian Tribes to oil and gas leasing to Fish and wildlife.

If you are a crook (which I don't think Ken is) you are very well positioned to cash in after your term.

Unfortunately Presidents seem to not notice Interior and allow them to do lots of damage.

[who38]

Salazar is one of Lieberman's primary supporters. Does this mean that all rodents will now be added to the Endangered Species list?

[who38]

Salazar is one of Lieberman's primary supporters. Does this mean that all rodents will be added to the Endangered Species List?

[MomfromTexas]

Scroll down on the following lead and check out Salazar' environmental voting record from Vote Smart: http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=1541. It looks good to me.

[UncommonSenz]

The criticism here is unwarrante­d... but that hasn't stopped the flack about EVERY Obama pick...

[Sabreen60]

I agree. I admit I don't much about this guy. But what I do know is that I would never vote for anyone if I didn't trust his/her judgment. Thus, I voted for 0ba-ma. He said he would have people with different views - Dems and Repubs, but the policy decisions will be his. I believe this and will continue to believe it until he shows me something different.

[Durango]

Spare me.

He is my senator. He was my Attorney General,.
And head of the CO Dept Natural resources.

I know the man and his career.

It is one thing for him to be a Senator. Another to be Sec Interior.

He SHOULD NOT be Sec Interior.

To many Easterners, and apparently Barrack Obama, Interior is an afterthought.

[IdahoEnviro]

You sound just like a Republican. Criticism is integral to our democracy and even though I voted for Obama I won't give him an inch. It's not that I don't trust Obama I CAN'T trust Obama. Politicians must be held accountable and Democrats are not exempt from that.

[dandypuddin]

He wears a cowboy hat and is from the mountain states. That's all i need to know. Could have done so much better.

[UncommonSenz]

Yeah, why give someone from the vast rocky mountain region where the battle between energy development and conservation is fought on a daily basis any say in the Interior policy. Why let the region with the most complex water issues have a say.

He wears a hat... must be bad... sheesh!!!