Interior Secretary Outlines Goals for Obama Administration

On March 4, President of the Land Trust Alliance Rand Wentworth met with new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Rally attendees will remember that Senator Ken Salazar was a keynote speaker at Rally 2007 in Denver, CO.

Secretary Salazar discussed three primary goals for the Obama administration: energy, treasured landscapes, and youth.

Energy

Secretary Salazar talked about the importance of capturing clean energy resources on public lands, while being very careful not to damage sensitive habitats or scenic vistas. He has asked the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service to asses how they will use funding in the stimulus package to advance energy efficiency and clean energy.

He is also looking at the criteria that will be used for determining the location of wind and solar facilities on public land. Although it is too early to describe a formal policy, Secretary Salazar expressed interest in capturing royalties from clean energy on federal lands for funding conservation projects.

Treasured Landscapes

Secretary Salazar and his staff expressed a bold vision for conserving America’s treasured landscapes, including both federal lands and important private lands. Salazar specifically cited success of Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) as a model for a national initiative, which might be called Great Outdoors America. He hopes to inspire federal, state and local initiatives that will involve private partners like land trusts. He said many of the most important projects are local, mentioning the success of the South Platte River Greenway project in Denver as an example. As part of advancing his conservation vision, he supports full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and looking at other incentives that will help advance land conservation.

Youth

Secretary Salazar is committed to connecting young people to nature. As part of that initiative, he plans to create something similar to FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps, which would employ young people working in our parks and refuges.

Secretary Salazar has a number of nominations for senior staff including Tom Strickland as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks who will also serve as Chief of Staff. He’s nominated David Hayes as Assistant Secretary focused on climate change. Former chair of the Land Trust Alliance Will Shafroth has been nominated as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks and will be working on the treasured landscapes goal and youth goals.

The Alliance will be meeting with senior members of the Obama administration as policies evolve and we’ll keep you informed. “It’s great to have so many friends of land conservation running the show at Interior,” says Wentworth.