New Interior sheriff Ken Salazar with his deputy, Tom Strickland, announces a new ethics policy at the federal center in Lakewood.
Economist Pete Morton contends that the Bush drilling boom, the biggest in twenty years, encouraged energy speculators and cheated taxpayers.
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To read Inspector General Earl Devaney's reports, download them here and here. Read previous Westword stories about the Roan Plateau here.
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If he's worried, he doesn't show it. In a recent interview, he beamed brisk confidence, brushing off a question about how many of his directives to date have been drafted in the White House. "I don't frankly care who gets credit for these agendas, which are important to the nation for generations to come," he said. "I have a great relationship with President Obama and his people, and they're very open to my suggestions. We've had countless meetings to talk about how we'll move forward on energy and climate change. I have the advantage of having worked on these issues in the Senate. All that, I think, helps us move the agenda forward."
Will the crowds still cheer the new sheriff, once he presents them with the bill for cleaning up the place? The question lingered, unasked, as the Secretary broke off the interview, declaring that he had to go meet with the president of Palau — an island republic that, like Salazar himself, enjoys a complex and still-evolving relationship with the Department of the Interior.
