President Bush has selected his nominee to head the Department of Interior, which manages about one-fifth of all the land in the United States and determines which portions of it should be available for resource extraction. As promised, he “looked to the West” and plucked Republican governor of Idaho and former Senator Dirk Kempthorne. The nominee is somewhat less controversial than others who were in the running for this position, and widely expected to be swiftly confirmed. But greens are hardly jumping for joy: Kempthorne is also widely expected to stay the course of the agency's industry-friendly policies under Bush.

Like many governors in the West, Kempthorne supports a transfer of power from federal agencies to state officials, particularly when it comes to the management of endangered species – an opinion that seriously concerns environmentalists. The President, however, applauds it: “Dirk understands that those who live closest to the land know how to manage it best,” Bush said in his announcement of the nominee, “and he will work closely with state and local leaders to ensure wise stewardship of our resources.”

Environmentalists are quick to point out the blemishes on Kempthorne's record, however. “As governor, Kempthorne led the charge to strip protection from 60 million acres of America's last wild forests and he's consistently fought against protection for wildlife like grizzly bears and salmon in his home state of Idaho,” Earthjustice attorney Todd True said in a statement.

Photo credit: Gov.idaho.gov