"With his natural resources background and level-headed approach to policy making, Sen. Ken Salazar is well-suited to be the next Interior secretary. Salazar has been a moderate voice of reason on recent Western land and energy disputes, and we know he would be a wise steward of our public lands. His expected appointment, confirmed by sources Monday afternoon but not formally announced, would be good for the West and for our country. But unfortunately, it would leave Colorado with two inexperienced senators, considering Mark Udall was just elected in November. For Colorado, known as a donor state because we pay more in taxes than we get back, a strong senator such as Salazar can be extremely beneficial. Elected in 2004, Salazar worked hard in his short tenure to become a pivotal player in Washington and he will be missed in that role. Just after the election, however, we noted in an editorial about Barack Obama's upcoming Interior selection that Salazar, a former water and environmental attorney and director of the Colorado Division of Natural Resources, is exactly the type of person Obama should pick. He has emerged as a sensible voice on oil shale development and eventually supported sensitive drilling on the Roan Plateau." Get the Story:
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