Environment America Looks Ahead to Building on Salazar’s Conservation Legacy

Environment America

Washington, D.C. — As Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced plans to leave the Department of the Interior at the end of March, Margie Alt, executive director of Environment America, released the following statement:

“From the Grand Canyon to our beaches, Secretary Salazar has worked these last four years to protect some of our most treasured public landscapes, waterways and habitats, while moving us toward a clean energy future.

“Secretary Salazar has many great accomplishments from his time with the Department. He helped protect a million acres around the Grand Canyon from new toxic uranium mining. He also helped protect the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines from offshore drilling after the worst offshore oil disaster in our country’s history. Under his leadership, we’ve made huge strides in advancing offshore wind power development and we’re closer than ever to reaping the benefits of this pollution-free energy source.

“Secretary Salazar’s legacy with the Department of the Interior has defended the landscapes we enjoy today, and will be remembered by the generations that will enjoy them in years to come. We look forward to building on this legacy, and further protecting America’s treasured landscapes from development and pollution. We also forward to stopping offshore drilling in new places like the Arctic, designating new permanent protections for our public lands, and harnessing the wind off our coasts with the Department of the Interior and Secretary Salazar’s successor.”