From Speakupwny.com Preservation While states and environmental advocacy groups were elated by a ruling handed down by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, they were dismayed by President Bush’s appointment of Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne as Secretary of the interior. When announcing the appointment, Bush stated, “Dirk understands that those who live closest to the land know how to manage it. He will continue my administration’s efforts to conserve our land, water and air resources in environmentally sensitive ways.” A Knight Ridder analysis in 2003 concluded Kemphthorne oversaw environmental degradation in several key areas -- including air quality, rivers, and pollution inspections -- during his term as governor of Idaho. According to ThinkProgress.org, Kemphorne has close ties to the same industries he would be responsible for overseeing. In his last re-election campaign, Kempthorne raised $86,000 from companies from the timber, mining and energy industries. Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, said: “Dirk Kempthorne has been an unabashed champion of the resource extraction and development interests that profit most from public land… the president could not have chosen a more divisive nominee." "As Governor, Kempthorne led the charge to strip protection from 60 million acres of America's last wild forests and he's consistently fought against protection for wildlife like grizzly bears and salmon in his home state of Idaho. He's openly hostile to America's natural areas and wildlife -- which puts him outside the mainstream of what people want to see for their children and their future. "As a one-term Senator, Kempthorne only cast one pro- environmental vote in six years, according to the League of Conservation Voters Scorecard. He also introduced a bill to undermine the Endangered Species Act that was unanimously opposed by conservation and scientific groups. "Gov. Kempthorne has built his career by pushing an anti- environmental agenda and catering to the oil, mining, and timber industries. Kempthorne is cut from the same cloth as Gale Norton. He will be a cheerleader for the Bush administration's efforts to open public lands to industrial development." Environmentalists around the country derided Kempthorne as a tool of oil and development interests. "The president could not have chosen a more divisive nominee," said the president of the National Environmental Trust. Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, said Kempthorne had “consistently opposed protecting public health and lands.” When serving six years in the Senate, Kempthorne chaired the Environment and Public Work’s Committee sub-committee on drinking water, fisheries and wildlife. The League of Conservation Voters gave him a rating of 6 – on a scale reading from 0 up to 100 – in his first year in the Senate and a 0 every year thereafter. Secretary of the Interior Department Gale Norton's resignation was met with both cheers and regrets. Environmentalists say good riddance; people in the logging, gas and oil industries are sad to see her leave. With Kempthorne as Norton’s replacement, it appears the status quo has been assured. © Copyright 2003 by Speakupwny.com |