Friends of the Earth Deplores Kempthorne Nomination Statement of Erich Pica, domestic program director

Contact:
Erich Pica, 240-432-3470
Dick Bell, 202-669-4125
 

President Bush’s nomination of Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne as the next Secretary of the Interior is a slam-dunk for the oil, gas, mining and logging industries. This choice is a significant escalation in the Bush administration’s assaults on the laws that protect our environment, our health, and our public lands.

In five of the six years Gov. Kempthorne was in the Senate, the League of Conservation Voters rated his performance at zero. During his one Senate term, he championed the weakening of the Endangered Species Act, the logging of old growth forests, and the selling off of public lands. As governor, Gov. Kempthorne cut Idaho’s environmental enforcement programs, and oversaw an increase in Idaho’s air pollution, while the rest of the nation was cutting emissions.

Background:
League of Conservation Voters
National Environmental Trust