This week's feature, "The Zen of Ken," deals with the formidable challenge facing Colorado's own Ken Salazar at the Department of the Interior. It also notes in passing the growing contingent of politicos with Colorado connections that the new Secretary is adding to his leadership team, including former Senate candidate Tom Strickland, former Great Outdoors Colorado director Will Shafroth and Hickenlooper aide Chris Henderson.
Now add another to the list: Ann Castle, a partner in the Denver office of Holland & Hart, has been nominated by President Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary for Water and Science. A former water lawyer himself, Salazar praised the choice and said Castle "will help us find common sense solutions on some of the most difficult 21st century challenges we face, from climate change to water shortages."
See the DOI's official statement on the nomination here. Packing the Department of the Interior with Denver cronies--and attorneys to boot--might seem more than a bit peculiar. But considering how much of the nation's public lands policy seems to be shaped in court, by costly and time-consuming lawsuits, maybe adding a few more legal degrees at the top isn't such a bad idea.
