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MAY 10, 2001

Secretary of Interior Gale Norton will mark her first 100 days in office tomorrow.

We'll have a review of the actions she has taken since she took over the Department of Interior, of course. But since there was so much controversy about her appointment, we thought it would be a shame not to provide a recap of what was said about her and what she said about her before she was sworn in.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT:
It seemed innocent enough when President-elect George W. Bush called a press conference on December 29 to announce his latest Cabinet picks: Rod Paige for Education, Tommy Thompson for Health and Human Services, and Gale Norton for Interior. Who knew the last one would cause so much trouble?

But the wheels started churning and the environmentalists started talking. Not that they already hadn't -- organizations like the Environment Working Group had previously labeled her one of Bush's anti-green advisors long before the election.

Selected Stories:
Bush names Norton to Interior (12/29)
Norton's nomination may spell trouble (12/29)

THE REACTION:
"James Watt in a skirt" and "Happy days are here again" were the wide range of responses Americans had to Norton, former Colorado Attorney General. The reaction foreshadowed the criticisms Bush's three most controversial nominees would face.

But unlike Linda Chavez, Norton would actually survive the barbs. In the meantime, clues surfaced about what Norton would face when confirmed: complex and controversial regulations, endangered species protections, and the trust fund litigation.

And then there were those buzzwords and phrases like "devolution" and "local control" and "balanced approach to the environment." What in the world did they mean? And how would they affect the decisions she made at the Interior?

Selected Stories:
Tangle of rules await Norton, new BIA (1/11)
Norton questioned on diversity, disabled (1/11)
Cantwell faces challenging start (1/12)
Bush defends choices, makes new Labor pick (1/12)
Tribes in middle of property-rights battle (1/12)
Challenges, risks cited at Interior (1/18)

THE HEARINGS:
After almost a month of staying quiet, Norton finally faced the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where Democrats doubted her and Republicans rallied around her. She finally go to have her say.

No, I really don't think the Endangered Species Act was unconstitutional. (I only thought one tiny part was.) And no, I don't really think companies and private property owners had a "right to pollute." (I just theorized they did.) And no, I don't really think there is no scientific basis for global warming. (I just wanted more evidence.)

And, yes I really know tribes exist. Yes, I will support repairing Indian schools. Yes, I will try do something about those darned trust funds. Yes, Senator Dorgan (D-N.D.), I will work with you and people like Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Chairman Tex Hall on those land-into-trust regulations.

But no, I don't know anything about that denied gold mine on land sacred to the Quechan Nation. And no, I don't have a comment on the controversial decision to restore water to the Trinity River to benefit tribes. And Senator Cantwell (D-Wash.), I promise to work with you on those hard-rock mining regulations.

So after two days of hearings and more public debate, Norton easily won confirmation, by what her biggest supporter Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) called a "landslide."

Was the landslide just beginning?

Selected Stories:
Norton hearing begins today (1/18)
Partisan split evident at Norton hearing (1/19)
Norton promises tribal support (1/19)
Norton on path to confirmation (1/22)
Indian groups question Norton's record (1/24)
Gale Norton in Review (1/26)
Norton confirmation expected today (1/30)
Navajo Nation supports Norton (1/30)
Norton confirmed by 'landslide' (1/31)
Excerpts of Senate remarks on Norton (1/30)

More on The First 100 Days:
Bush and Indian Country: The First 100 Days (4/27)