Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is appointing a top critic of endangered species protections the head of the agency charged with protecting the critters, while moving to remove protections from nearly 300 animals.
Susan Combs was supposed to serve as Zinke's undersecretary for policy, but because of holdups in the Senate, he has chosen to appoint her as the acting head of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The decision was taken last month, but news outlets began pointing out her hostility toward the Endangered Species Act on Wednesday. The Washington Post cited a statement in which she likened an animal being placed on the endangered list to a "Scud missile" — the weapon of choice of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The Interior Department said Combs will serve as the acting assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife, until a deal can be reached to confirm her as the agency's top policy official.
But that didn't stop conservation groups and activists from pointing out Combs' lack of compatibility with the goals of the Endangered Species Act.
"Putting Combs in charge of the Fish and Wildlife Service is like appointing an arsonist as the town fire marshal," said Stephanie Kurose, an endangered species specialist with the Center for Biological Diversity...
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Enviros are getting what they deserve on this one, LOL. For months Senator Durbin has had a hold on her nomination to be the assistant sec. of pba. Why? Because of what Zinke was doing on national monuments. The enviros were successful there, but now they have to deal with her being over the agency that administers the ESA, he he.
However, these stories are distorting her record. I've known and worked with Susan Combs since she was the Commissioner of Ag in Texas, and I don't believe she disagrees with the intent of the ESA. What she will bring is a reasonable reading of the act along with some common sense approaches on how to implement its various provisions. In reality, that is what the enviros fear.
No arson here. Just Susan Combs putting an end to the enviros game of using the ESA as a land use control device instead of a species protector.
1 comment:
Instead of worrying about Susan and her ideas on the environment we need to focus on Senator Durbin and his and his buddies practice of putting holds on nominees. It is time for the senate leadership to put an end to the farce of holds and go to a simple majority vote on nominees. All of these senators are perfumed princes and care not one iota for this country. All they want is privilege, and pay. Why else do most of them stay until they need wheelchairs to attend the senate? It is time to put a stop to this. Encourage POTUS to continue his efforts to drain the swamp!
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