Frank Lautenberg: “the position we are voting on, Secretary of the Interior Department, holds great importance for our country. The…”

“the position we are voting on, Secretary of the Interior Department, holds great importance for our country. The Department determines the fate of many of our public lands, including national parks and wildlife refuges. Of great importance to New Jersey, the Secretary of Interior determines what activities can take place on the Outer Continental Shelf. The Secretary of Interior implements critical laws like the Endangered Species Act, and administers some of our most important conservation programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It should be a job for somebody who believes in protecting our nation's great natural heritage, not selling it off to the highest bidder. I served in the Senate with Governor Kempthorne, and we were members of the Environment and Public Works Committee at the same time. He is a skilled legislator and a congenial person, and I will vote to invoke cloture on his nomination, and for his confirmation. But I do want to take this opportunity to express some concerns about Governor Kempthorne's record on the environment, and about the Bush administration's record, as well. The League of Conservation Voters has given Governor Kempthorne a lifetime score of 1 percent, meaning he voted against the environment as judged by LCV 99 percent of the time. That does not give me great confidence on how he will address issues of preserving wilderness, protecting wildlife, or defending our coastal waters.…”