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MARCH 14, 2001

It's really wonderful to see so many friends and colleagues from all over the nation -- all in the same place. I enjoyed meeting with the Western Attorneys General yesterday. Again, today, this feels like home.

It's a different atmosphere than some of the challenges I've had the last few months. The appointment process was something I'll never forget.

I had to put together copies of every article I had ever written, and find information on every controversial issue I was ever involved in. I still ended up on my hands and knees, in a crawlspace under my house, searching through endless boxes of dusty old files. I thought at the time; the glamour of being a Cabinet nominee is clearly overrated.

The financial forms require figuring out the investment details and management structure of every stock, 401 (k), IRA and pension program. Filling out all that financial paperwork was the first time I ever felt thankful my husband and I don't have more assets.

Of course the FBI had to investigate. I suspect some of you in this room were interviewed to make sure I'm not a national security risk.

But there was one question on one of the forms that was more intrusive of each nominee's privacy than any other. It basically asks, ''Are there any deep dark secrets about you, or any accusations that could be made against you, that would be really embarrassing if they ever saw the light of day?'' Luckily, as a former Attorney General, I was able to answer that question: ''Yes. Please see the attached enormous collection of 20-plus years worth of newspaper articles for details.''

The Bush-Cheney Transition Team assigned me a Congressional relations expert to guide me through the process -- a gentleman named John Tuck. John made at least 40 trips with me to Capitol Hill to meet with Senators and ask for their votes.

One of our first meetings was with Idaho Senator Larry Craig. A few minutes into it ... my cell phone rang! I fumbled through my purse, found the phone and quickly handed the annoying thing to John. He immediately disappeared from the office to answer it.

With that handled, I went back to talking with the Senator. Seconds later, John burst back into the office with the phone still active. I'm thinking to myself ... ''In the middle of this interview ... John, what are you thinking?!'' It turns out. He answered the phone. The person wanted to talk to me.

John told the caller I was in a very important meeting that couldn't be interrupted, and asked to take a message. The caller said: ''Sure, just tell her George W. called.'' Needless to say, I took the call.

If you watched television or picked up a newspaper during my confirmation hearings, you may have noticed some groups decided that attacking me might fill their fund-raising coffers. When those groups unleashed their version of what I supposedly stood for the last 20 years -- I wondered where I had been, or if they had mistaken me for another ''Gale Norton.''

The experience reinforced the idea that partisan differences can be put aside. As challenging as the confirmation process and the attacks against me were -- I felt great about one thing: Many Attorneys General -- Republican and Democratic -- wrote letters and made phone calls on my behalf.

My visits with many Senators were made much easier because the Senator shook my hand and said: ''My Attorney General says 'you're okay.'''

I'm grateful for your support, for your friendship, and for your trust.

So far I've been to two Cabinet meetings. The Cabinet room is right by the Oval Office. The conference table is just big enough to have a seat for each Cabinet member. The President is seated on one side with the Vice President directly across. The rest of us are assigned seats by the date our department was created.

Our country began with four departments. Interior was the next one created, in 1849. So I am the Fifth ranking Cabinet officer, which means I'm eighth in the line of succession to the Presidency. What is more important, it means I have a great seat at Cabinet meetings: President here -- Colin Powell -- me.

I may not bear the weight of each global crisis, but Interior oversees an enormous amount of landscape. In fact, one out of every four acres of U.S. soil and one-third of the domestic energy production is managed by the Department of the Interior.

The only way we can monitor that much real estate and activity is to listen to all voices, and follow a process I call the ''Four C's'': they are consultation, cooperation, communication, and all in the service of conservation:

Between landowners and environmentalists; between state Attorneys General and federal officials; between all people of goodwill who share the common goal of protecting our wildplaces and the habitat that surround it.

However, some in Washington think they understand an issue because they've flipped through a binder full of briefing papers;

Some in Washington believe those who own land or live close to the land cannot be the environment's friend;

Some in Washington believe the only way to protect the environment is through Washington-based command and control. But it's local people who see problems with their very own eyes who often know the best solutions.

As an Attorney General, and now at the Department of Interior, I work hard to build an honest line of communication among all levels of government, environmentalists, property owners, businesses, and other groups willing to work together to find common ground to protect America's national treasures.

Thinking back on my nine years as Attorney General, a lot of my time was devoted to environmental issues. About one-third of that time was spent cooperating with federal officials on joint prosecutions and projects. One-third of the time was spent fighting with federal officials about whether Colorado could be innovative and try something slightly different from the Washington-based mandates. That last-third of the time? That was spent trying to force the federal government to follow its own environmental laws.

One of my top priorities at the Department of the Interior is to make certain more of your time is moved away from the forcing and the fighting column -- and into the cooperating column.

It's important we do so, because our nation is full of conservation challenges and opportunities. For example, President Bush has proposed using landowner incentive programs to give technical assistance, habitat enhancement tools, and financial reward to foster win-win solutions -- benefiting landowners, endangered species and our national treasures.

The President and I will work to eliminate the National Park Service's maintenance backlog with nearly $5 billion over five years to fix our national treasures and protect our wildplaces so more families across America can enjoy them.

Protecting our land, air and water is a top priority. That's why for the first time, the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be fully funded -- $900 million to protect our environment. Our initiatives give the Fund greater flexibility to address conservation needs with a bottom-up approach, not top-down from Washington.

Wildland fire season is upon us. I saw the smoke and pollution caused by wildland fires burning out of control last summer in Colorado. Beetle-killed trees and overly dense forests are disasters waiting to happen across the country.

While I can't change the conditions, I asked the Department to work together to mitigate the impact of a possible drought, and I immediately lifted the hiring freeze for wildland firefighters.

The President and I also want to improve our schools on Indian reservations -- to make sure that no child is left behind. We will work to reduce the school repair and maintenance backlog. We want to completely replace six dilapidated schools on reservations by the end of next year.

We must also harness 21st century technology to help protect our environment. Where we once needed scores of oil wells to tap underground reserves, today we can use one hole on the surface to drill for oil in a circle extending seven miles away. We can use the resources below the ground while we preserve the landscape and habitat above.

We couldn't have dynamic innovations, or this knowledge or insight without local involvement. Those of us in Washington need to be good partners with Americans living in other parts of this country and in our territories.

America is a stronger nation because of the diversity of its people. Every person in this room holds different views and perspectives with different sources of knowledge and ideas. That's why it's so important that I work closely with America's Attorneys General; that I involve you; that I benefit from your creativity, and appreciate your capacity to innovate and think outside the box.

I'm honored you've welcomed me home. Attorneys General have long been great leaders in strengthening partnerships among communities, among businesses, among environmentalists, and among local, state, and the federal government.

To each of you, I thank you; for your concern; for your passion to make our air cleaner; our water purer; our environment stronger; and our world a better place.

Get the Story:
Norton addresses old friends (3/15)