Matthew Daly with the Associated Press has broken a story on the new agriculture undersecretary in charge of the U.S. Forest Service. According to the Associated Press story, President Obama has chosen Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, to be in charge of U.S. forests.Though the White House has yet to make any official announcement, Daly cites unnamed congressional aides as his source that the Colorado official will indeed be nominated for the post. A little background on Sherman according to the A.P.:
Sherman is a member of Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's cabinet and has overseen state efforts to develop a plan for so-called roadless areas in remote national forests. National and regional conservation, hunting and angling groups have denounced Colorado's plan as weaker than a 2001 rule developed by former President Bill Clinton. Critics say the Colorado plan is unnecessary after a federal appeals court decision reinstated most of the 2001 federal policy last month.Sherman’s nomination comes after Homer Lee Wilkes, the state conservationist for Mississippi, withdrew his nomination in June.
Vice president of the environmental organization Earthjustice, Martin Hayden, believes Sherman will carry out President Obama’s commitment to the 2001 Roadless Rule despite Governor Ritter’s plan ‘“to undercut roadless protections in Colorado’s national forests [.]’” Sherman previously served on the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission where he was an advocate for including consideration of public health and the natural environment when issuing permits for building roads in national forests.
To read the AP article click here.
Posted: 09/10/09
