"Salazar to step down from Interior Department
WASHINGTON — Ken Salazar, the blunt-spoken lawyer and rancher who
took over the scandal-ridden Interior Department at the outset of the
Obama administration, said Wednesday that he would step down in March to
return to his home in Colorado.
He did not say what he intended to do after leaving Washington, and the White House gave no hint of who might succeed him.
Salazar’s exit, along with the announced resignation of Lisa P.
Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and
the anticipated departure of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will leave
vacant the critical Cabinet posts dealing with climate change and
energy, among the most pressing challenges facing the nation.
President Obama, who entered the Senate with Salazar in 2005, said
that the interior secretary had helped to expand the development of
domestic energy resources while also protecting land, water, and
wildlife....
They must be talking about fracking, 'eh?
In his four years in office, Salazar, 57, has taken steps to turn the
Interior Department from its historic focus on mining, forestry, and
oil and gas development on public lands to a new emphasis on the
development of renewable energy. Since 2009, the department has
authorized 34 large solar, wind, and geothermal energy projects, which
eventually will produce more than 10,000 megawatts of electricity,
enough to power more than 3 million homes.
Salazar also oversaw the settlement of a 15-year legal battle waged
by American Indian tribes who asserted that the federal government had
cheated them out of billions of dollars in trust assets and lands
managed by the Interior Department. The so-called Cobell suit was filed
during the Clinton administration and resolved in 2009 with a $3.4
billion settlement that brought cash and land to thousands of tribal
members and organizations.
The Indians probably got $crewed on the settlement, too. That's been going on for centuries after the First Holocaust.
He also established seven new national parks and 10 new national
wildlife refuges, and he blocked uranium mining in 1 million-acre buffer
zone around the Grand Canyon.
But his tenure will be most remembered for his handling of
contentious oil and gas issues, like the British Petroleum Deepwater
Horizon oil spill and the decision to allow Shell to explore for oil in
the Alaskan Arctic....
Literally a frozen stain on his service.
--more--"
Different kind of stain for that guy, and I'll give you one clue: it's red.
You know, it's the kind of thing that would come out of your body if you were, say, punched in the nose:
"Interior chief Salazar offers apology for punching threat
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is
apologizing for threatening to punch a Colorado reporter who asked him
about problems with the government’s wild horse program at a campaign
event.
This from the government that is constantly lecturing you about violence.
Related: So Hungry I Could Eat a Horse
Also see: Panel recommends sterilizing some wild horses out West
Maybe someone should sterilize Salazr and remove that angry aggression.
Salazar on Wednesday called Dave Philipps, a reporter with The
Gazette of Colorado Springs, to apologize and offer him an interview.
The apology came a day after the newspaper posted an audio of Salazar’s
Election Day comments.
In the audio, Salazar is heard accusing Philipps of setting him up by
asking about a Colorado horse slaughter proponent who has bought
hundreds of wild horses.
Salazar tells the reporter: ‘‘If you do that to me again, I’ll punch you out.’’
Salazar at first simply said Wednesday that he regretted the exchange. But the newspaper called on him to apologize.
--more--"
I'm surprised the glowing resignation announcement didn't mention that.
UPDATE: US deny oyster farm lease renewal
