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Skriven 2006-03-16 23:33:08 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060316b) for Thu, 2006 Mar 16
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President Bush Nominates Dirk Kempthorne as Interior Secretary
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 16, 2006

President Bush Nominates Dirk Kempthorne as Interior Secretary
The Oval Office

President's Remarks
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5:29 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I'm pleased to announce my nomination of
Governor Dirk Kempthorne to be the Secretary of the Interior. The
Department of Interior is responsible for managing our national parks and
public lands, conserving our natural resources, and pursuing
environmentally responsible energy development on federal lands and waters.

I've nominated Dirk to succeed an outstanding public servant, Gale Norton.
As the Secretary of the Interior for the past five years, she was
instrumental in establishing the Healthy Forests Initiative, to protect
communities from catastrophic wildfire, and to improve the habitat. When
Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region, she helped lead the
efforts to restore offshore energy production, so that Americans would not
suffer further supply disruptions and price increases.

Future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy our great national
parks and wildlife refugees because of Gale's untiring work. Gale was one
of the original members of my Cabinet, and the first woman in American
history to hold the post of Secretary of the Interior. I appreciate her
dedicated service, and Laura and I wish Gale and John all the best.

Dirk Kempthorne is the right man to build on this progress. As Governor of
Idaho, he worked closely with Gale on a variety of important initiatives.
They worked together to resolve a longstanding water rights issue, to
return responsibility to Idaho for managing the local wolf population, and
to make the Healthy Forests Initiative a reality in Idaho.

As Governor, Dirk has been a responsible steward of Idaho's 30 state parks
and recreational trail ways that serve millions of visitors each year. He
has launched the statewide Experience Idaho initiative, which will fund
needed improvements within Idaho's state parks, to preserve public spaces,
and expand recreational opportunities for visitors. Last August, I had a
chance to enjoy those recreational opportunities firsthand when Dirk and I
biked some of Idaho's trails together.

As Secretary of the Interior, Dirk will continue my administration's
efforts to conserve our land, water, and air resources, reduce the
maintenance backlog of our national parks, support historic and cultural
sites through our Preserve America Initiative, and develop the energy
potential of federal lands and waters in environmentally sensitive ways.

Dirk brings wide experience to these important tasks. He has served at
every level of government: as Mayor of Boise, as Governor of Idaho, and as
a United States Senator. While in the Senate, he chaired the Subcommittee
on Drinking Water, Fisheries, and Wildlife, and he chaired the Armed
Services Personnel Subcommittee.

He built bipartisan support to enact comprehensive reforms to the Safe
Drinking Water Act. Dirk understands that those who live closest to the
land know how to manage it best, and he will work closely with state and
local leaders to ensure wise stewardship of our resources.

Dirk has had a long and abiding love for nature. When he and his wife,
Patricia, were married, they chose to hold the ceremony atop Idaho's Moscow
Mountain at sunrise. Dirk said, "I don't think there's a more beautiful
cathedral than the outdoors."

I appreciate his willingness to take on this important post, and I ask the
Senate to confirm him promptly as the 49th Secretary of the Interior.

Thanks for agreeing to serve.

GOVERNOR KEMPTHORNE: Mr. President, thank you so very much for this honor.
I appreciate the confidence that you have shown in me, and for this
opportunity that I now have to serve you and to serve the people of the
United States. I consider it a great honor and accept your charge to be a
responsible steward of the land and the natural resources with which our
nation has been blessed.

I also would like to thank and commend Secretary Norton, who has truly been
a partner and a friend to Idaho over the past five years. By working
together, there have been a number of historic accomplishments that have
been achieved. She's been a partner and a friend to the states.

I'm grateful for the honor that I've had to serve the citizens of Idaho.
For more than 20 years, in elected positions, I've had that privilege. I
look forward to continuing my service now to this nation, if confirmed by
the Senate, as Secretary of Interior.

My wife, Patricia, our children, Heather and Jeff, our new son-in-law,
Drew, have been by my side throughout my public service. They've been a
source of great encouragement and support and have allowed me to pursue my
passion of helping people, finding solutions to problems, and making our
communities and our state a better place to live, to work and to raise a
family. I thank my family for that love.

I look forward to going to Capitol Hill and meeting with my former
colleagues in the United States Senate, to talk with them about the
heritage and the history of our great nation, the needs of those who live
in Indian country, and the management of our natural resources.

Mr. President, one of the hallmarks of my public service has been my
ability to bring people to the table and to work together to build
consensus. I pledge to you and to the American people that I will continue
in that role of reaching out and finding solutions.

I heard a clear direction from you, Mr. President, when we met earlier
today. You stated that if confirmed, you want me to reach out to all
constituent groups, to seek bipartisan support, to find common ground, and
to build consensus. Whether on a hike or a bike ride, as you've referenced,
in Idaho, or as recently as a conversation today, I truly appreciate and
respect your genuine enthusiasm for this great land of ours in all of its
grandeur and its essence.

Mr. President, once again, I thank you for this awesome honor and
responsibility. I'm ready to serve the people of the United States. And God
bless America, the beautiful. I would be honored to serve this land.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.

END 5:36 P.M. EST

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