Ken Salazar, nominee for Interior Secretary will be taking a pragmatic course, based on his testimony in his confirmation hearing last Thursday before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. His approach seems very much in line with the overall direction of the Obama administration.
He gives priority to ‘sensible’ reform of the 1872 Mining Law. Sen. Salazar said he understands the importance of mining, but called for stronger [environmental] standards than what exists in the law. Even the mining industry recognizes the need to make changes, but the debate is over the extent and nature of revisions.
He expressed support for:
- Clean coal technologies and carbon capture and sequestration
- Nuclear power generation
- Modernizing the interstate electrical grid
- Expanding renewable energy on public lands
- Helping tribes develop renewable energy on their lands
- ‘Wise use’ of conventional natural resources including oil, natural gas, and coal