I'm not the only one thinking Salazar is a sell-out at Interior

While other people are worried about Rick Warren, more and more environmentalists are worried about Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar running the Department of Interior.

Interior, due to the presence and land ownership of the federal government, has traditionally gone to a Westerner, but Obama could have done far better. Yes, as director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, he funded state land conservation efforts. But, in his brief time in the Senate, or his state service before that, you never heard him mentioned as a real environmentalist. And, he certainly doesn't have an A-list record of standing up to Big Oil and Big Gas on BLM land. Yes, he did take on the government on oil shale on the Roan Plateau, but beyond that? He allowed natural gas drilling to go ahead there.

That is why he is drawing not just somewhat, but highly, critical views from many non-Gang Green environmentalists. (Gang Green members, as befitting their willing co-option by the Democratic party, has been silent on Salazar so far.)

“He is a right-of-center Democrat who often favors industry and big agricultural interests in battles over global warming, fuel efficiency and endangered species,” said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, which tracks endangered species and habitat issues.

Daniel R. Patterson, a former official of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management and now southwest regional director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, described Mr. Salazar as the most controversial of Mr. Obama’s cabinet appointees.

“Salazar has a disturbingly weak conservation record, particularly on energy development, global warming, endangered wildlife and protecting scientific integrity,” said Mr. Patterson, who was elected last month to the Arizona House of Representatives from Tucson and supported Mr. Grijalva for the Interior Department job. “It’s no surprise oil and gas, mining, agribusiness and other polluting industries that have dominated Interior are supporting rancher Salazar — he’s their friend.”

Earlier this week, I gave Salazar a B-minus on environmental issues, but that's not all that great. I said then that, given that, after violations of international law and civil rights, anti-environmentalism is one of Bush's biggest legacies, we need more than a B-minus leading Interior.

Now, I am not even sure if he deserves that grade; when I made it, I thought I might be grading on a mental curve after hammering Obama for most the rest of his cabinet choices.