INTERIOR SEC. SALAZAR'S AGENDA

Title click. From New West Daily.

"Before he answered any questions, Salazar took ten minutes to outline his priorities, which in the order he listed them, were:
1. Reforming the Interior Department to restore the confidence of the people of America. Interesting that Salazar would list this as his first priority, but he obviously felt strongly about it and made several references to scandals raging over the department’s implementation of various policies and laws, especially omnipresent claims of letting politics trump science in key decisions. “We expect the highest ethics and performance from all employees of the department,” he said, “including basing decisions on good science.”
2. Work with President Obama to make sure we become an energy independent nation. “I feel very strongly about this issue,” he added.
3. Restoring and protecting our national landscape. Specifically, he suggested developing a national program modeled after a popular and successful program in his home state called Great Outdoors Colorado, a state trust fund established by a 1992 ballot measure financed by state lottery proceeds and used to “preserve, protect and enhance Colorado’s wildlife, parks, rivers, trails and open spaces.”
4. Helping implement and promote President Obama’s vision of community service. He went on mention programs where young people could work in the national parks and in other department jobs and have the opportunity to “experience the great outdoors.”
5. Restore a trusting relationship with Indian tribes.
6. Dealing with huge water challenges.
In response to questions he also said:
The Bush administration’s rule to allow loaded, concealed guns in national parks would be “one of the rules we’ll look at.”
He hoped Congress to include a “significant infusion of dollars for national parks” into the upcoming economic stimulus bill. “We need a second moon shot to restore and enhance our national parks.”
The department will address hard rock mining issues. “There is a consensus that the 1872 law needs to be changed.”