Cody comments on new wolf plan A group of about two dozen sportsmen, ranchers, environmentalists and others made comments Wednesday night on Wyoming's latest plan for managing gray wolves in the Rocky Mountain region. Among questions asked were why the public comment process was being rushed, whether the state and ranchers would have adequate options to control wolf depredation and whether the plan would guarantee genetic diversity among wolves. Gov. Dave Freudenthal approved emergency rule changes that clarify a commitment to maintaining 15 breeding pairs and 150 individual wolves in the state's northwest corner, including in Yellowstone National Park. The changes also more clearly define "damage to private property" and "chronic wolf depredation." Unchanged are the boundaries defining where wolves may be shot any time as predators, a provision in the plan defined by law, and which cannot be altered until the state Legislature convenes in January. In the northwest corner of the state, they are classified as trophy game. The animal's status as a predator across most of the state is a key sticking point with opponents of Wyoming's plan, who say it exposes wolves to potentially devastating losses that could threaten their long-term recovery....

Firearms Industry Statement on Results of CDC Blood Lead Levels in Hunters Study The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry -- issued the following statement in response to study results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released by the North Dakota Department of Health, showing no evidence that lead or "traditional" ammunition pose any health risk to those who consume game harvested meat. The CDC report on human lead levels of hunters in North Dakota has confirmed what hunters throughout the world have known for hundreds of years, that traditional ammunition poses no health risk to people and that the call to ban lead ammunition was nothing more than a scare tactic being pushed by anti-hunting groups. In looking at the study results, the average lead level of the hunters tested was lower than that of the average American. In other words, if you were to randomly pick someone on the street, chances are they would have a higher blood lead level than the hunters in this study. Also of note, the lead levels of children under 6 in the study had a mean of just 0.88, less than half the national average. Children over 6 had even lower lead levels. The CDC's level of concern for lead in children is 10....

Agencies to let more bison outside Yellowstone State and federal officials say they've tentatively agreed to allow more bison to roam outside Yellowstone National Park without being captured and slaughtered to protect cattle against disease. The plan, which remains in draft form, would allow an unlimited number of bison to stay during winter in an area west of Yellowstone known as Horse Butte. The animals would not have to be tested for brucellosis, a disease carried by bison and feared by ranchers because it causes cattle to abort their calves. Last year, more than 1,600 bison leaving the park were killed to guard against the disease. Final adoption of the plan is expected next month in Helena, when five federal and state agencies wrap up a series of meetings they've held on the issue over the last several months.

Can the Forest Service reclaim its image? It's been a dismal eight years for the U.S. Forest Service. When the Bush administration took office, it immediately suspended a popular measure to protect 58 million acres of backcountry public forests from new roads. Instead, the agency became consumed by firefighting. Since 2001, stopping fire has grown from about 15 percent of the agency's budget to nearly 50 percent today. Without forward-thinking leadership, the Forest Service agenda will continue to focus primarily on this one reactionary activity. Yet there is enormous potential for the agency and its 35,000 employees who manage public lands that exceed the size of Texas. Agency staffers could be turned loose to do good work on the ground. The future of the agency -- and the rural communities that depend on it -- lies in its recognizing that more frequent fires are a symptom of a warming climate and an already stressed environment. And while fire fighting is essential, it is only one part of a long-term agenda. Scrape away eight years of languor perpetuated by the Bush administration, and the clear challenge of climate changes stands out. Here's what the Forest Service could do to lead the way....

Economy Shifts, and the Ethanol Industry Reels As producers of ethanol navigate a triple whammy of falling prices for their product, credit woes and volatile costs for the corn from which ethanol is made, an economic version of “Survivor” is playing out in the industry. Last week, VeraSun, one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers, announced that it had filed for bankruptcy protection after its bets on the price of corn turned out to be wrong — and costly. Several other small producers have filed for bankruptcy this year, and construction plans for several Midwestern ethanol plants have been postponed or shelved. Shares in the handful of publicly owned ethanol companies have mostly been slumping all year. Aventine Renewable Energy and Pacific Ethanol, for instance, have both lost more than 80 percent of their value since the beginning of the year. While producers pin their hopes on rising government mandates for the use of ethanol, analysts who follow the industry voice concerns that more companies could go under. They expect a wave of consolidation to sweep the ethanol business once the credit crisis eases....

Election results for Proposition 2 and greyhound racing Proposition 2, the California ballot initiative on farm animal housing backed by the Humane Society of the United States, passed on Tuesday with more than 60 percent of the vote, and the result will essentially end current management practices for California egg producers, forcing the industry out-of-state. In Massachusetts, voters approved a ballot question to end greyhound racing in the state, rejecting track owners’ arguments that the ban would cost jobs at a time of economic hardship in favor of protecting dogs from harm. A similar ballot question was defeated in 2000. The ban, which takes effect in 2010, passed by a vote of 56 percent to 44 percent....

Asbill wants to fence 'Dead Cow Road' A 2007 legislative appropriation of $125,000 for 26 miles of fencing along a county road is not enough to get the job done. But further delaying the project could put the money at risk of being taken back by the governor, county leaders said. The funds were obtained by Sen. Vernon Asbill, R- Eddy, for fencing along County Road 605, also shown on county maps as Potash Mine Road. But the highway has been dubbed by locals as Dead Cow Road because of cattle wandering onto the road and occasionally being plowed down by motorists. Over the years, collisions between cow and car have caused some serious and fatal injuries. The dilemma for the county is two-fold. The first is the issue of liability should the fence be nstalled. The commission said New Mexico is open range, and by fencing off cattle to keep them from wandering onto the road, the liability shifts to the county for any accident caused by cattle on the road. The second issue for the county is that the $125,000 is not enough to fence the 26 miles and the county would have to dip into its coffers to make up the difference. Frank Weldon, county road department superintendent, said although the county has not yet called for bids, the current price for fencing material is about $5 per linear foot. That would work out to more than $26,000 for a single mile of fence. Commissioner Lewis Derrick, a rancher from Artesia, said based on his experience in the ranching business, $125,000 would not cover the cost of fencing materials, cattle guards and labor. "Not only won't it be enough, it won't work," Derrick said. "Cattle will always find a way to get around or through the fence."....

Interview with actor Robert Fuller Some excerpts from a recent interview I did with Robert Fuller, star of “Wagon Train,” and “Emergency.” The only color season of “Wagon Train,” one of the great TV westerns, has just been released on DVD, along with a selection of 16 of the best black and white episodes. “When I was doing ‘Laramie,’ all our dressing rooms at Universal were called Whiskey Row, across the street from two bungalows that belonged to Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson. We had dressing rooms that had a bedroom and a kitchen, but nothing like the bungalows across the street for Tony and Rock. There were five or six in a row. The first one was Ward Bond’s, the next was Frank McGrath’s, the next was Terry Wilson’s, the next was John Smith’s, and the last was Lee Marvin’s. “That’s why they called it Whiskey Row. “Right now I live in Gainesville Texas, 65 miles north of Dallas. Got a ranch just south of the Red River. Horse country. I’ve got quarter horses and miniature donkeys and 28 acres of coastal Bermuda hay which I inherited when I bought the place four and a half years ago. I sell it to the ranchers for their horses. “I don’t do any work. I don’t have an agent and I don’t want to. To tell you the truth, I left Hollywood because I got tired of living in the same town with Rosie O’ Donnell and Sean Penn.”

Obama - Ag Position

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The Fresno Bee is reporting that Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Ca) is pushing Bill Lyons for a position at the Ag Dept:

"It's critically important that we have someone from California high up at the Department of Agriculture," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced. Cardoza is suggesting the name of Bill Lyons Jr., a Modesto-area rancher who headed California's Department of Food and Agriculture. Cardoza further acknowledged he is "concerned" that an Obama administration might clash with Valley farmers and ranchers on endangered species and other environmental protection issues.

I worked with Lyons when he was Sec. of Ag in California, and we would be lucky to get him in this administration. However, Cardoza worked with Pombo on endangered species legislation, and his recommendation may be the kiss of death.

Obama Transition - Interior

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The Washington Post is reporting that David Hayes, a deputy secretary at the Interior Department under President Bill Clinton, has been tapped to oversee Obama's transition at the Interior Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department.

The WP report is based on a source "close to the transition." There is no confirmation on the transition website. In fact, there are no press releases at all posted there.

This WP report adds:

Other former Clinton officials said to be helping Obama's transition at environmental and energy agencies include: John Leshy, former solicitor at Interior; Donald J. Barry, former assistant secretary of fish, wildlife and parks at Interior; David B. Sandalow, former assistant secretary of state for oceans, environment and science; and Frank E. Loy, former under secretary of state for global affairs.

Most westerners will remember John Leshy. This us from his Hastings College of Law website:

John Leshy was born and raised in a village in southern Ohio. He received an A.B. cum laude from Harvard College in 1966 and a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School three years later. Upon graduation he litigated civil rights cases for the U.S. Department of Justice out of Washington, D.C. for three years, then moved to the Bay Area and worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council (a national nonprofit environmental group) for five years. In 1977 Professor Leshy returned to Washington to join the Carter Administration as Associate Solicitor for Energy & Resources. In 1980 he became Professor of Law at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe. After twelve years in the classroom, Leshy took leave to serve as Special Counsel to Chairman George Miller of the House Natural Resources Committee in Washington, D.C., and then became leader of the Clinton-Gore transition team for the Interior Department. In early 1993 President Clinton appointed him to be Solicitor (General Counsel) of Interior where, following Senate confirmation, he served under Secretary Bruce Babbitt until the end of the Administration, the second-longest tenure of any Solicitor in the Department's 159 year history.

On Donald Barry, this is from his 1998 statement to a senate committee:

To begin with, I offer you my experience. I believe that my years in Washington, D.C. have provided me with a clear understanding of the varying roles and responsibilities of the office of Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. I have either worked in, or worked with, this particular office for almost a quarter of a century. From 1975 to 1986, I provided legal advice to the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks through various positions in the Office of the Solicitor at the Department of the Interior. Since my return to the Department as a political appointee in May of 1993, I have alternately served as the Counselor to the Assistant Secretary, the Deputy Assistant Secretary, and the Acting Assistant Secretary. Moreover, during the six years that I worked for the House of Representatives, I was responsible for the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee's Congressional oversight of the Assistant Secretary's office. It, thus, could be said that I have interacted with past Assistant Secretaries for Fish and Wildlife and Parks from a variety of angles. I, believe therefore, that I have the practical experience and insight that one would want in an Assistant Secretary. In addition to my familiarity with the office of Assistant Secretary, I have also worked for over 20 years with the two agencies that this office oversees: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. I served for 12 years as an attorney for the Fish and Wildlife Service, including 6 years as that agency's Chief Counsel. As a result of this prior professional relationship, I have long-standing personal ties with every Regional Director in the Service, and most of the agency's Field Supervisors as well. Moreover, I have worked closely with the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Jamie Clark, for many years, and believe that we have established a solid record of solving problems together.

For David Sandalow, here is some info from the Brookings Institution website:

Sandalow is currently executive vice president of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), where he helps manage field-based conservation, advocacy, and research programs around the world. Prior to joining WWF, Sandalow served as assistant secretary of state for oceans, environment, and science in the Clinton administration, where he helped shape and implement U.S. diplomacy on a wide range of environment, science, and technology topics, including global warming, biotechnology, and the environmental standards of export credit agencies. Before joining the State Department, Sandalow served jointly as senior director for environmental affairs at the National Security Council and associate director for the global environment at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In those roles, he helped advise the president and vice president on global environment issues. Sandalow has been a member of the Sustainable Development Roundtable at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Environmental Law, and co-chair of the ABA's Annual Conference on Environmental Law.

On Frank Loy, this is from a 2006 press release by the Nature Conservancy:

The Nature Conservancy today announced the addition of a new member, Frank E. Loy, to its board of directors. As the former under secretary of state for global affairs from 1998 to 2001, Loy coordinated U.S. foreign relations on issues such as the environment, the promotion of democracy, human rights, refugees and humanitarian affairs and counter-narcotics. In this position he served as the chief U.S. negotiator for climate change, as well as for treaties on trade in genetically-modified agricultural products...Loy joins the board with in-depth knowledge of the environmental community, having served as board chairman of Environmental Defense, the League of Conservation Voters, and Resources For the Future. He currently serves on the boards of Environmental Defense, the Pew Center for Global Climate Change, Resources for the Future, ecoAmerica and Population Services International.

As we learn more about this wing of the transition team, we'll post it here.

Obama Administration, New Congress Should Mean Aggressive Approach to Global Warming, Science Group Says The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is looking forward to quick and decisive action to combat climate change by the new Obama administration and Congress after eight long years of obstruction by the outgoing administration. "The past eight years of denial and delay are over. Voters largely embraced candidates who support clean energy, green jobs, and a safer climate for our children and grandchildren." Next year the new administration and Congress can do much to jumpstart a "Green Deal" that would help pull the country out of our economic downturn by investing in clean energy and modernizing the national electricity grid, Knobloch said. "A critical step for Congress is to pass a strong federal climate bill with a declining cap on global warming emissions," Knobloch said. "Such a cap-and-trade system would generate needed revenues to finance new energy sources and help Americans manage and reduce their energy costs." President-elect Obama also has pledged to ensure that 10 percent of the nation's electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025. Such a national renewable electricity standard would cut global warming emissions, create jobs, save ratepayers money, and encourage private investment in clean technology....

Obama will protect public lands, pursue green energy Western Democrats and environmentalists will have more influence on federal land decisions in Idaho and the West under President Barack Obama. Decision-makers will defer more to scientists on resource issues and spending priorities will shift toward protecting land, fish and wildlife, Democrats said Tuesday night. But there is a tension between environmentalists who want him to reverse decisions made by the Bush administration and Western Democrats who hope Obama's pledge to govern in a "post-partisan" manner means he will bring a collaborative approach to public land issues. "He's not going to make some of the mistakes of the past," said Cecil Andrus, former Idaho governor and Jimmy Carter's interior secretary. "He knows his history." Issues like climate change and alternative energy - along with the economy - are going to get more attention in the new administration than public lands grazing, logging and motorized recreation. And the skyrocketing federal deficit could force a reorganization of land, water and wildlife agencies now spread out under three different Cabinet departments....

5 ideas for Barack Obama on the environment 1. Establish a strong cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the economy, auctioning, rather than giving away, emissions allowances to provide resources that can be put to work increasing energy efficiency, promoting renewable and clean energy technologies, and creating the green jobs of the future. 2. While Congress develops this legislation, use existing regulatory authority to begin regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, as required by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, and pushing U.S. automakers to develop a super-efficiency fleet of new cars by approving a waiver, denied by the Bush Administration, that will allow 11 states, including Massachusetts, to adopt stricter emissions standards. 3. Rejoin global climate change treaty talks and offer an affirmative American leadership proposal that will move developed and developing countries alike toward clean energy technologies and steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions....

Sen. Salazar says BLM may see significant changes under Obama Coloradans may expect to see significant changes in how the Bureau of Land Management oversees drilling on federal lands in a future Barack Obama presidential administration, Sen. Ken Salazar said Wednesday. The senator, in comments to reporters Wednesday, also seemed to dismiss speculation that he might accept a position as head of the U.S. Department of the Interior, calling the possibility “highly doubtful.” Less than a day after Americans handed President-elect Obama a landslide 349-162 electoral vote victory, Salazar said the incoming Obama administration would seek a balanced approach for a “comprehensive energy program.” That program would seek to protect the resources that are needed for the “long-term sustainability” of communities impacted by energy development. “I think what you are going to see is a greater sensitivity from an Obama administration with respect to the protection of land and water, and I think a deference to what it is that state governors, state officials and local elected leaders want in respect to their lands,” Salazar said. “I have often said that Bush-Cheney ethic of development of our natural resources is ‘go everywhere and anywhere’ without any significant limitations. I don’t think that will be the case with an Obama administration.”....

Privatizing the Public Estate There is nothing as priceless in a physical sense that Americans can bequeath their descendents than the public domain – national parks, national forests, bureau of land management (BLM) lands and wildlife refuges that, collectively, make up a third of the nation. These, at least for now, belong equally to all 300 million U.S. citizens, billionaire and pauper alike. But a “private sector” that has bought everything from networks to congressmen has our lands in its crosshairs, and in recent decades right wing economists and legal advisors have devised strategies aimed at their privatization, a goal furthered by repeated reductions of the budgets of land management agencies, allegedly in the interest of “streamlining” government. What puts this issue on front burner now is a skyrocketing national debt of well beyond ten trillion dollars, nearly the size of the entire U.S economy and requiring the National Debt Clock to drop its $ sign in order to make room for the additional digit. Efforts by private interests to gain control of public lands have evolved from the “Sagebrush Rebellion” of the 1970s, through the “Wise Use Movement”, and into so-called “free-market environmentalism” consisting of a politically powerful and massively funded network of industrial interests and conservative foundations and think tanks pushing privatization via such means as “competitive outsourcing” and “public-private partnerships”....

Ag Undersecretary: Missoula Appeal “Superfluous and Uninformed.” U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey says Missoula County's recent appeal over federal handling of a Freedom of Information Act request is "superfluous and uninformed." In a telephone interview with The Associated Press this week, Rey talked about the county's demand for information related to road easements involving the Forest Service, which he oversees, and Plum Creek Timber Co. The county will get all the information it is due under the FOIA request, Rey said, but that may not be all the information sought. The request filed in June arose as Missoula County officials looked into private negotiations between the Forest Service and Plum Creek, negotiations about possible changes in the easements that are a framework for company use of Forest Service roads. In the appeal filed last week, the county said the Forest Service provided too little information in response to the FOIA request. As more information is gathered, it will be sent if deemed appropriate for release, Rey said. The appeal is superfluous because one filed earlier by the county has not been decided, and uninformed because an index requested in the county's latest appeal is something not normally provided outside of a court case, he said. Deputy Missoula County Attorney D. James McCubbin on Wednesday defended the request for the index and said the appeal he sent last Friday was submitted one business day before an appeal deadline specified by the Forest Service. McCubbin said the agency told him not meeting that deadline would result in the county forgoing its right to appeal....

BLM to Carson: Hold your horses A federal agency says pastures it operates in Oklahoma and Kansas no longer have room for wild horses caught in New Mexico's Carson National Forest. In the past horses caught in the forest that couldn't be adopted out were sent to Bureau of Land Management holding facilities. But Carson National Forest wild horse coordinator Anthony Madrid has received an e-mail from U.S. Forest Service headquarters saying he can no longer ship unadopted horses to BLM facilities. The e-mail gives no reason but Madrid speculates the policy change comes because the BLM facilities are nearly full and expect more wild horses from BLM-managed lands.

Ag groups worry California cage ban will spread Farm groups on Wednesday criticized a new California law that bans keeping chickens, calves, and pigs in cages, arguing it will increase production costs, while animal welfare proponents said they hope to get similar laws adopted in other states. "California often is a bellwether, so it's likely this ban will be pushed in other states," Bryan Black, president of the National Pork Producers Council, said in a statement. "We certainly don't expect the Humane Society to stop with California." Black called it "regrettable" that farmers and ranchers "who treat their animals humanely and provide them a safe, healthy environment" were vilified by animal-rights groups. "We certainly hope we don't see more of these measures on the ballot in other states, but the animal activists have a lot more money than the American veal farmer," said Chip Lines, president of the American Veal Association....

Jogger runs mile with rabid fox locked on her arm With a fox locked onto her arm, an Arizona jogger ran a mile to her car, where she was able to dislodge the animal, throw it into the trunk and drive to a Prescott hospital. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said the fox, which later attacked an animal control officer, tested positive for rabies. The unidentified Chino Valley resident told deputies she was on a trail Monday at the base of Granite Mountain when the fox attacked, biting her foot. The woman said she grabbed it by the neck when it went for her leg and it latched onto her arm. Thinking the fox was rabid, she wanted to make sure it didn't get away so she ran to her car, where she was able to pry open its jaws, wrap it in a sweat shirt and toss it into the trunk. The woman is receiving rabies vaccinations, as is the animal control officer.

Obama Transition Team

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For the past several months, a board of advisors has been informally planning for a possible presidential transition. Among the many projects undertaken by the transition board have been detailed analyses of previous transition efforts, policy statements made during the campaign, and the workings of federal government agencies, and priority positions that must be filled by the incoming administration. With Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s election, this planning process will be now be formally organized as the Obama-Biden Transition Project, a 501(c)(4) organization to ensure a smooth transition from one administration to the next. The work of this entity will be overseen by three co-chairs: John Podesta, Valerie Jarrett, and Pete Rouse. The co-chairs will be assisted by an advisory board comprised of individuals with significant private and public sector experience: Carol Browner, William Daley, Christopher Edley, Michael Froman, Julius Genachowski, Donald Gips, Governor Janet Napolitano, Federico Peña, Susan Rice, Sonal Shah, Mark Gitenstein, and Ted Kaufman. Gitenstein and Kaufman will serve as co-chairs of Vice President-elect Biden’s transition team. Supervising the day-to-day activities of the transition will be:

Chris Lu – Executive Director
Dan Pfeiffer – Communications Director
Stephanie Cutter – Chief Spokesperson
Cassandra Butts – General Counsel
Jim Messina – Personnel Director
Patrick Gaspard – Associate Personnel Director
Christine Varney - Personnel Counsel
Melody Barnes – Co-Director of Agency Review
Lisa Brown – Co-Director of Agency Review
Phil Schiliro – Director of Congressional Relations
Michael Strautmanis – Director of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs
Katy Kale – Director of Operations
Brad Kiley – Director of Operations

The phone number for the transition headquarters is 202-540-3000. The official website for the transition is www.change.gov and it will be live later today.

COMMENT

Of interest to readers is Carol Browner, who was the administrator of EPA during the Clinton Administration. Prior to that she was an aide to Senator Al Gore and ran the Flordia Department of Environmental Protection. She is currently chair of the Audobon Society and also chairs it's executive committee. The Audobon Society issued the post-election statement I linked to here.

This is from Wikipedia:

During the Clinton Administration

When Republicans took control of Congress after the 1994 elections, she took the lead in the Clinton Administration in successfully fighting efforts by the Republicans, especially in the House of Representatives, to weaken the Clean Water Act. She was able to work in a bipartisan manner, though, with Congressional Republicans in helping craft amendments to strengthen the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Food Quality Protection Act.

Browner came from Florida with a reputation as someone who could work with the private sector. While at EPA, she expanded the Agency's flexible public-private partnerships as alternatives to traditional regulation through Project XL (designed to find common sense, cost effective solutions to environmental issues at individual facilities) and the Common Sense Initiative (targeted at efforts involving entire industry sectors).

In 1995, Browner generated controversy, after she and the EPA were charged by the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs with violating the federal Anti-Lobbying Act (18 U.S. Code § 1913) by faxing unsolicited material opposing the Republican-sponsored regulatory reform package to various corporations and public-interest groups.[2]

As EPA Administrator, Browner also started the Agency's successful brownfields program, which, during her tenure, helped facilitate cleanups of contaminated facilities, especially in urban areas, and which leveraged more than $1 billion in public and private funds for cleanups.

Since 2001

After the Clinton Administration, Browner joined the Albright Group, a "global strategy group" headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. As a Principal in that firm, Browner assists businesses and other organizations with the challenges of operating internationally, including the challenges of complying with environmental regulations.

COMMENT

Another Gore connection is Donald Gips, who served as Domestic Policy Advisor to VP Gore and who raised over $500,000 for the Obama campaign. He is currently vice president of corporate strategy and development for Colorado-based Level 3 Communications, the sixth largest defense contractor in the country.

Watch for Gore to be some kind of special envoy on climate change from the White House or State Dept.

See anyone representing agriculture?