Bush Nominates New Interior Chief

Environmentalists oppose President Bush's nomination of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho to be secretary of the Interior.

1 minute read

March 20, 2006, 2:00 PM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"If confirmed by the Senate, Kempthorne, 54, will replace Gale A. Norton, who resigned last week after more than five years as Interior secretary...As chairman of the Western Governors' Assn., Kempthorne took the lead in calling for changes in the Endangered Species Act. Like many governors in the West, he has pushed for greater state control over management of endangered species and for greater payments to landowners facing losses brought by the law's restrictions...He fought the Clinton administration's decision protecting federal wilderness from road builders..His nomination drew quick and sharp criticism from environmentalists."

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