Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) is president-elect Barack Obama's top choice for Secretary of the Department of the Interior, according to news reports. Salazar is in his first term in the U.S. Senate. He replaced Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana who retired in 2004. Salazar hasn't emerged as a major player on Indian issues since taking office. But he has co-sponsored legislation like the National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month Act, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Trust Act, the Code Talkers bill and bills to extend methamphetamine funding to tribes. Colorado is home to two tribes, including one with significant energy interests, an area under Interior. The tribes are dealing with law enforcement issues, also part of Interior. Salazar recently questioned the $2.5 billion coal power plant sought by the Navajo Nation, citing concerns about the impact on the environment in Colorado and New Mexico. Get the Story:
Salazar poised to head Interior (The Denver Post 12/15)
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