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Subject: Dirk Kempthorne Interior Nomination Raises Serious Concerns
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 17:30:49 -0500


For Immediate Release:

March 16, 2006

Contact:
David Willett, 202-675-6698

             Dirk Kempthorne Nomination Raises Serious Concerns

Washington, DC:  The nomination of Governor Dirk Kempthorne for Interior
Secretary raises serious concerns about the Bush administration's already
deplorable stand on protection of public land. This nomination represents a
continuation of the same anti-environmental polices that we have seen for
the last five years.

"President Bush nominated someone who has consistently opposed protecting
public health and public lands," said Carl Pope, Executive Director of the
Sierra Club. "American families deserve an Interior Secretary who actually
values our natural heritage.  America deserves someone who will promote
safe energy policies that protect sensitive lands and wildlife habitat,
instead of giving over our public lands to developers and the oil and gas
companies."

Governor Kempthorne has a history of:

*     Supporting drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
*     Opposing the protection of  60 million acres of wild forests
*     Working to weaken the Endangered Species Act and Safe Drinking Water
Act

As Senator and Governor, Kempthorne has proved hostile to a variety of
environmental issues.  Kempthorne earned a one percent rating from the
League of Conservation Voters.  Notably, as Senator Kempthorne co-sponsored
a bill to take polluters off the hook for  millions of tons of lead, zinc
and other toxic metals into the Coeur D'Alene River Basin-instead leaving
taxpayers with the clean-up bill.

From suggesting the sale of public lands to the highest bidder to
privatizing their parks, forests, monuments, the Bush Administration has
demonstrated a pattern of siding with corporate interests over the
protection of America's natural heritage.  Given the administration's and
Kempthorne's own track record on the environment, unfortunately we have
little hope that as Interior Secretary he would provide the leadership
necessary to protect our national parks, wildlife and other special places.

###


David Willett
National Press Secretary
Sierra Club
(202) 675-6698 (w)
(202) 491-6919 (m)
[log in to unmask]
www.sierraclub.org

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