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Salazar as Interior Secretary, sources say
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Sen. Ken Salazar
It appears that one of the Colorado Salazar brothers will be headed to Washington, D.C. after all – only it’s not John, as once rumored, but younger brother Sen. Ken Salazar who’s getting the nod as Secretary of the Interior. Sources are telling the Denver Post that the senior Colorado senator has privately accepted the cabinet level post, and only needs to clear the background check.
The Examiner was unable to get a comment from his office. However, pundits note that the appointment of someone from Colorado is no surprise, given the important role the state played in the election of Barack Obama. Early speculation was that someone else – perhaps former Denver Mayor Federico Pena, who was Obama’s campaign co-chair – might get an opportunity to serve again in the White House. But with the pick of Salazar, the Obama team is shining the spotlight on the region.
The 53-year-old Alamosa native, who grew up with seven siblings on a ranch that lacked electricity , is a familiar sight around the state, known for his white cowboy hat and easy-going style. Salazar, a lawyer tapped in 1990 by then-Governor “Ramblin’” Roy Romer to be his chief legal consul went on to win election as the state Attorney General. He was re-elected in 2002. In 2004, he ran for the Senate seat vacated by Democrat-turned-Republican Ben “Nighthorse” Campbell, narrowly defeating conservative beer baron Pete Coors. When elected the same year as Mel Martinez of Florida, they became the first Hispanic U.S. Senators since 1977.
Salazar has maintained a moderate position, though he has angered some anti-war activists with his support of Sen. Joe Lieberman. At a gathering of regional economic leaders at the Oxford Hotel in Denver in October, Salazar talked about his part in pursuing the $700 billion bailout measure. He said he pressed the likes of Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke to make the case for the urgency of the measure, which he supported. He knew, however, it wouldn’t please many back here.
"I get criticized for voting to support it," he told the assembled civic leaders and spectators, who included fellow Democrat Mayor John Hickenlooper. He added, with a chuckle that on that very morning, when aarriving at DIA, someone hailed him, shook his hand, then told him he was dead wrong on the vote.
His interest in, and expertise on, land use in the West could be one reason for his selection. He has taken the lead in monitoring the continued expansion of oil shale and mineral development on federal lands. Last June, he criticized President Bush, saying “The President’s rhetoric this morning on oil shale showed that he is fundamentally out of touch with the realities of oil shale development and western communities. As energy companies, western governors, local communities, energy experts, and the BLM have all testified, the barriers to oil shale development are economic, technological, and environmental, not legal or regulatory.”
He has also spent a lot of time negotiating with the Army on its planned expansion of its Army's 235,000-acre Fort Carson Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado. As an aside, Salazar has also worked on military affairs, and sent a letter to Army Secretary Pete Geren about recent violence at Fort Carson by soldiers returning from overseas deployment. He cited the lack of mental health treatment for veterans.
His appointment would set off a scramble to replace him, because his term runs through 2010.
For more info:http://salazar.senate.gov/
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