Washington
DC Office
307 Dirksen Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-6441
Fax: 202-224-1724
Wyoming Office
P.O. Box 22201
Casper, WY 82602
307-261-6413
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Contact: Cameron Hardy
202-224-6441 |
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Thomas Gives Kempthorne Clear Set of Goals
Wyoming typifies many of the energy, public lands issues facing Interior |
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| U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, left, chats with Gov. Dirk Kempthorne during a visit Monday, April 3, 2006. Thomas set some clear goals for what he'd like the next Interior Secretary to address. |
April 3rd, 2006 - WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Craig Thomas made clear his views about several key challenges he wants the next Interior Secretary to address during a visit today with Interior nominee Dirk Kempthorne.
Kempthorne met with Thomas this afternoon and left with a strong set of marching orders that deal with key challenges Interior needs to address.
“Many of the biggest opportunities for Interior, as well as ongoing challenges, are in Wyoming. I encouraged Dirk to accompany me on a tour of the state to see firsthand the concerns surrounding energy development on public lands and in-and-around our national parks.”
Wyoming concerns
No cabinet position affects Wyoming quite as closely as the Interior Secretary, Thomas said. “It’s tremendously important to hear from the people on the ground about how our public lands concerns are playing out.”
Endangered Species
“I’d like to see forward movement in regard to species recovery. Recovery needs to be the goal of our efforts. The roadblocks that we’ve encountered in the past must come down -- especially in regard to recovered species, the red tape has been one of the most frustrating aspects of achieving success with the Endangered Species Act.”
Wolf
“I strongly encouraged Dirk to use his Western insights with the wolf to help broker a solution between Interior and the State of Wyoming for wolf management. Wyoming needs the chance to move forward with an appropriate wolf management plan,” Thomas said.
Public Lands
The former Senate colleagues discussed public lands management needs, including those related to Wyoming’s two prominent National Parks and the ever-increasing pressure placed on communities experiencing the most energy exploration.
“I’d like to plan a tour of Wyoming to give the next Interior Secretary a firsthand look at many of the issues he will face in the position. In many ways, Wyoming offers a glimpse of the very issues Interior will deal with and how people on the ground are being affected by department decisions. Dirk understands our Western values, but because he’ll be wearing a new hat as Secretary of the Interior, I want him to have a keen understanding of Wyoming.”
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