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FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2001

After a day of debate on a spending bill for the Department of Interior, the Senate on Thursday confirmed a number of top-level political appointees who will now join Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb as the newest members of the Bush administration.

In one fell swoop, Secretary Gale Norton now has a team of advisers to help her get down to business. By a voice vote, the Senate confirmed J. Steven Griles as Deputy Secretary; Lynn Scarlett as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget; Bennett Raley as Assistant Secretary for Water and Science; Bill Myers as Solicitor; John Keys as Commissioner for the Bureau of Reclamation and Fran Mainella as Director of the National Park Service.

"Each of these highly qualified and extraordinarily talented professionals represent the beginning of an outstanding team at the Department of the Interior," said Norton as she praised the Senate's evening action.

Of the group, the most controversial was Griles. His nomination had been held up as Democrats questioned his views on energy development.

Even before yesterday's vote, some were voicing objections. "He has placed the interests of powerful special interests above the public," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) before Griles was approved.

Naturally, Norton welcomed the news and praised Griles as having "established a track record of building relationships, listening to all sides and working for common goals that respect and protect the environment."

Griles added: "I will work in a forthright, bipartisan and cooperative manner to protect the lands owned by the people of America."

As a lobbyist for the energy and a former member of the Reagan administration, Griles has consistently pushed for drilling off the coasts of Florida and California and for opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. Some of his former clients include Occidental Petroleum, Shell Oil, and the National Mining Association.

Myers is a lawyer and former industry executive who represented cattle and grazing interests. Like his new bos, he challenged endangered species protections of the Babbitt administration.

During his confirmation hearing last month, Myers said he was not planning a wholesale review of the decisions made during the Babbitt years. "I have no agenda of systematically reviewing individual opinions to see whether they are good bad or otherwise," he said.

Two Republicans from New Mexico, Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson, are asking Norton to void a legal opinion which would restore 10,000 acres of land to Sandia Pueblo.

In his position, Raley heads the Bureau of Reclamation and the US Geological Survey. Scarlett is responsible for a wide range of administrative and policy decisions.

Mainella's nomination was praised by lawmakers and environmentalists.

Department of Interior Profiles:
Deputy Secretary: J. Stephen Griles (3/9)
Solicitor: Bill G. Myers (3/30)
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget: P. Lynn Scarlett (4/4)
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs: Neal McCaleb (4/18)

Related Stories:
McCaleb begins new life at BIA (7/9)
Senate confirms McCaleb to head BIA (7/2)
McCaleb nomination hangs in limbo (6/28)
Sandia Pueblo case still in limbo (6/21)
Interior nominees face Senate hearing (6/20)
McCaleb breezes through confirmation hearing (6/14)
McCaleb endorses BIA on recognition (6/14)