Guest guest Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 > Big Wildlife just learned the Center for Biological Diversity is > circulating a letter endorsing Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva for > Secretary of the Interior (see letter below). *Big Wildlife > wholeheartedly supports Rep. Grijalva as Interior Secretary and > appreciates the Center taking a lead on this critical appointment > Since a decision on the Interior Secretary post may be made by > President-elect Obama as soon as _Monday, December _8, Big Wildlife > urges you to add your organization to the letter below ASAP. *Rep. > Grijalva has been a champion for endangered species, wildlife, and > wildlands. Big Wildlife was especially grateful when Rep. Grijalva > introduced the Bear Protection Act that would have extended important > safeguards to bears. *We believe Rep. Grijalva would be an outstanding > Interior Secretary. > > To sign on, simply send the following information to Brian Vincent at* > brian <brian: > > YOUR NAME: > TITLE: > AFFILIATION: > ADDRESS: > PHONE: > EMAIL: > > Brian will forward your information to the Center for Biological > Diversity as soon as he receives it. Again, time if of the essence so > please respond promptly. Our apologies for the short notice. Thanks. > > *LETTER RE: REP. GRIJALVA FOR SECRETARY OF INTERIOR WITH SIGNATORIES > TO DATE* > > December 8, 2008 > > President-elect Barack Obama > Office of the President-elect > 451 6th Street NW > Washington, DC 20004 > > Conservationists Support Raúl Grijalva for Secretary of the Interior > > Dear President-elect Obama: > > As you make appointments to your Cabinet, we encourage you to consider > Congressman Raúl Grijalva for Secretary of the Interior. The new > Secretary of the Interior must bring strong, focused leadership to the > position in order to ameliorate the devastating effects of the Bush > administration’s eight years of failed environmental policy. We > strongly believe that Congressman Grijalva’s background and record > show him to be a leader ready for this challenge. > > As Arizona’s congressional representative, Congressman Grijalva has > shown a broad range of passion and expertise for conservation and > management of public lands. He has highlighted the Bush > administration’s attempts to undercut science in favor of industry > interests and sought ways to work with agencies and environmental > groups to better protect public lands. For this, Grijalva has gained > respect in the environmental community for his clear and decisive > positions on sometimes complicated issues. > > As a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Grijalva was > responsible for leading one of the largest counties in the United > States. With large urban areas, vast expanses of federal land, rapid > population growth, a high density of endangered species, a shared > border with Mexico, and an ethnically and politically diverse > populace, Pima County is microcosm of the issues a Secretary of the > Interior must be capable of managing. In this position, Grijalva > demonstrated not only knowledge of the issues, but a natural ability > to bring differing interests together to reach mutually acceptable > agreement. He was a leader in the development, approval and funding > of the precedent-setting Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Bringing > federal, state and county governments together with conservationists, > developers and scientists, Congressman Grijalva helped forge one of > the most far sighted endangered species protection plans in the nation. > > One of the immediate tasks for the Secretary of the Interior will be > to deal with growing national water problems. Management of drought > and the ability of the Secretary to bring powerful, conflicting > interests to the table will be essential, as evidenced by the recent > crises in Georgia and Florida, the continuing controversy on the > Klamath River, and the scientific consensus that the Colorado River is > dangerously over-allocated. Grijalva has long been involved in > drought management on the San Pedro, Santa Cruz and Colorado Rivers > and is well-prepared to tackle these issues on a national level. > > Grijalva’s record of anticipating and working to address growing > environmental problems will also be an important asset in the > Secretary of the Interior position. Expanding forest fires, the > melting of the Arctic, drought in the interior West and Southeast, > loss of endangered species habitat, rangeland degradation, and > permitting of coal mines, coal plants, and other traditional and > alternative energy projects all point to global warming becoming the > central issue for DOI lands and jurisdiction. Grijalva has been a > leader in pressing Interior and other federal agencies to integrate > global warming issues into their planning and permitting. > > Grijalva’s experience in key environmental Congressional caucuses has > prepared him to lead the full range of agencies within the Department > of the Interior. In addition to his chairmanship and work on public > lands, he has worked closely with Native American communities his > district includes seven sovereign nations and has served on the > Subcommittee on Insular Affairs. Also, as a Representative from the > arid southwest he is intimately familiar with the responsibilities of > the Bureau of Reclamation. > > Further, Grijalva’s leadership in the labor and Hispanic communities > has allowed him to move beyond the long-held false dichotomies of > environment vs. jobs and species vs. rural communities to promote > better management and use of public lands. This is especially > important because Hispanics are the fastest growing users of public > lands in the West. Their interests have been largely ignored to date, > even when those interests are harmed by federal land development and > extraction and access policies. The Interior will benefit from > Grijalva’s ability to bring these interests to the table. > > Grijalva’s demonstrated keen knowledge of procedural issues regarding > public lands will also be an asset to the Secretary of the Interior > position. In 2008, he led efforts to stop damaging mining on BLM > lands and other federal lands where the Secretary of the Interior, BLM > and Minerals Management Services have permitting authorization. This > was largely due to his innate ability to understand and compellingly > explain how poorly planned mining threatens local communities and > water supplies. > > In the last decade, central management issues on public lands > including logging, ORVs, fire management, grazing, mining and water > conservation have changed from deeply rural issues to an urban > interface. Grijalva’s experience in the major urban center of Tucson > has provided a hands-on understanding of the new urban-edge dynamic > and an appreciation of the resulting political constituencies that are > emerging. > > The next Secretary of the Interior must have a nuanced understanding > of the complex issues involved in protecting and stewarding our > natural resources and lands. With the recent economic downturn, there > will be calls for increased energy production at the risk of > significant environmental destruction. We believe that Congressman > Grijalva’s demonstrated strength in navigating these sensitive issues > and his commitment to science-based decision-making will serve the > Interior well as it moves beyond the Bush administration’s policies. > > As organizations dedicated to protecting imperiled animals, plants and > our wild lands through sound science and enforcement of environmental > laws, we regularly interact with federal agencies within the > Department of the Interior. It is with this perspective that we > heartily endorse Raúl Grijalva to be appointed as its Secretary. > > Sincerely, > > > Craig C. Downer, President > Andean Tapir Fund > Minden, NV > > Elisabeth Jennings, Executive Director > Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc. > Albuquerque, NM > > Karen Michael, Board Member > Animal Defense League of Arizona > Phoenix, AZ > > Roger Featherstone, Member > Arizona Mining Reform Coalition > Tucson, AZ > > Kevin Gaither-Banchoff, Executive Director > Arizona Wilderness Coalition > Tucson, AZ > > Brian Vincent, Communications Director > Big Wildlife > Williams, OR > > Erik Molvar, Executive Director > Biodiversity Conservation Alliance > Laramie, WY > > Vernon Masayesva, Executive Director > Black Mesa Trust > Kykotsmovi, AZ > > Mike Mease, Campaign Coordinator > Buffalo Field Campaign > West Yellowstone, MT > > Michael J. Painter, Coordinator > Californians for Western Wilderness > San Francisco, CA > > Donna Charpied, Policy Advocate > Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice > Desert Center, CA > > Josh Pollock, Executive Director > Center for Native Ecosystems > Denver, CO > > Karen Schambach, President > Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation > Georgetown, CA > > Larry Charpied, President > Citizens for the Chuckwalla Valley > Desert Center, CA > > Steve Brooks, Director > The Clinch Coalition > Nickelsville, Va. > > Sandy Buffett, Executive Director > Conservation Voters New Mexico > Santa Fe, NM > > Nick Ervin, President > Desert Protective Council > San Diego, CA > > Christina McVie, Science Director > Desert Watch > Tucson, AZ > > Rob Fisher, Executive Director > ECO- The Ecological Conservation Organization > Little Rock, AR > > Rick Erman, Member > Friends of Anderson Mesa > Phoenix, AZ > > Shiloh Walkosak, Executive Director > Friends of Ironwood Forest > Tucson, AZ > > Vivian Grant, President > The Fund for Horses > Houston, TX > > M.H. Salmon, Chairman > Gila Conservation Coalition > Silver City, NM > > Allyson Siwik, Executive Director > Gila Resources Information Project > Silver City, NM > > Bill Hedden, Executive Director > Grand Canyon Trust > Flagstaff, AZ > > Kelly Burke, Executive Director > Grand Canyon Wildlands Council > Flagstaff, AZ > > Robert Hoskins, Director > Gravel Bar > Crowheart, WY > > Veronica Egan, Executive Director > Great Old Broads for Wilderness > Durango, CO > > Karen Michael, Board Member > Humane Voters of Arizona > Phoenix, AZ > > Herbert Fibel, President > Maricopa Audubon Society > Phoenix, AZ > > Steve Capra, Executive Director > New Mexico Wilderness Alliance > Albuquerque, NM > > Regna Merritt, Executive Director > Oregon Wild > Portland, OR > > Daniel Patterson, Southwest Director > Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility > Tucson, AZ > > Terry Shepherd, Executive Director > Red Rock Forests > Moab, UT > > David R. Parsons, Vice-Chairman > The Rewilding Institute > Albuquerque, NM > > Steve Harris, Executive Director > Rio Grande Restoration > Embudo, NM > > Scott Groene, Executive Director > Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance > Salt Lake City, UT > > Kevin Bixby, Executive Director > Southwest Environmental Center > Las Cruces, NM > > Elisabeth Jennings, Executive Director > The Animal Protection Voters > Albuquerque, NM > > Dr. Paul Green, Executive Director > Tucson Audubon > Tucson, AZ > > Melanie Gasparich, Executive Director > Upper Gila Watershed Alliance > Gila, New Mexico > > Jon Marvel, Executive Director > Western Watersheds Project > Hailey, ID > > Don Hoffman, Board Director > White Mountain Conservation League > Pinetop, AZ > > John Horning, Executive Director > WildEarth Guardians > Santa Fe, NM > > Kim Vacariu, Western Director > Wildlands Project > Portal, AZ > > Scott Silver, Executive Director > Wild Wilderness > Bend, OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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