As Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar stood next to President-elect Barack Obama in Chicago on Wednesday, he pledged to be a faithful steward of the nation’s public lands.
He has his work cut out for him.
If Salazar is confirmed as the new Interior secretary, he will take on a department wracked by internal controversies, unduly influenced by energy company interests and led astray by those who ignored science in favor of politics.
Balance must be restored to Interior, and Salazar is a measured centrist who has the right sensibilities for the job.
In some ways, occupying the center is the toughest place to be since you’re likely to get flack from both ends of the political spectrum.
Indeed, Obama’s decision to nominate Salazar for Interior elicited howls from some environmentalists. The key word here is some.
While a handful of enviros said Salazar isn’t green enough for the job, many others, including the National Audubon Society and Environment Colorado, have applauded his selection.
And for good reason. Salazar lambasted the Bush administration’s last-minute rules on oil shale development, saying serious questions remain about extraction technology and techniques. He criticized the “bargain” royalty rates.
His steady position on oil shale development balances industry interests with those of the environment and surrounding communities. We expect he’ll approach other controversial issues with the same mindset.
After the salacious scandal at Interior’s Minerals Management Service office in Lakewood — involving sex, drugs and improper relations with industry representatives — Salazar joined Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy in pointedly asking the U.S. attorney general why a criminal investigation was not forthcoming.
Oil shale and internal improprieties are just a few of the controversial issues that Salazar will have to navigate.
Just days before Salazar got the public nod for the Interior job, another issue came to the fore, with the release of an inspector general report that said Interior agency officials often interfered with the work of scientists studying endangered species. That meddling led to policy decisions that very well may need to be revisited.
Another political hot potato Salazar will have to juggle will be a decision on when the federal government will allow offshore oil and gas exploration and where, especially when it comes to the Outer Continental Shelf. He has been in favor of some expanded drilling and we hope that doesn’t change.
Salazar, along with others in the administration, also will have to find ways to support green energy development in economically difficult times.
Salazar brings an enviable set of skills and experience in natural resources and law to the table. He’ll need all of them to successfully tackle the challenges before him.
