How was scientific research stifled in the past?
I think there was a movement on the part of the Bush administration to put political considerations ahead of science. I don’t think there was the appropriate respect for the science generated from this department or other departments. You canceled land leases for energy development this week. How will you proceed on the ones that remain? We’re doing the legal analysis on what all of our options are. Many of them create major concerns with respect to our national parks. We need to have the right balance relating to oil and gas. You’ve also gotten criticism for not being vocal enough on global environmental issues. People may not like me because I have a farming or ranching background, but so be it. Farmers and ranchers were the first stewards of the land because they understood, as I understand, that the less you take care of the land on which you intend to make a living, the harder it is to keep it sustainable generation after generation. That’s the kind of ethos that will guide me as
