Norton's Views For The Environment example essay topic

The United States secretary of interior designate is Gale Norton. She was appointed that position for one reason, "because she can get the job done with her experience" among other things, George Bush said after her appointed her to his cabinet. Experience she does have, she was a native of Kansas that moved to Colorado in hear early childhood, getting to enjoy the environment of the Rocky Mountain range. In her early professional life, she worked with community groups and businesses with a Law degree from University of Denver, and later became Colorado's state attorney general.

Her first environmental positions came in Washington in the mid 80's when she started working for the department of agriculture. In the department of interior, (which she heads now) she worked, as Associate Solicitor for conservation and wild life, were she gained significant experience relating to management and preservation of public lands and environmental protection. Then in 1988, Gale moved back to Colorado and served as Colorado's first female Attorney general. In her term, some of her main issues where, state environmental issues, including environmental clean up. Overall, she has more than 20 years experience on environmental and natural resources issues, which makes President Bush's appointee a lock right? No, Gale Norton has come over a lot of scrutiny on her environmental concerns, and has proved to be very controversial by many environmental groups.

Gale Norton has a very lengthy environmental record, that proves she stands for keeping a healthy environment that is conscious about what needs to be done to progress our environment for the future. Yet, as you will see, many disagree with her promoting businesses decisions before the environment. Norton has also been known as an advocate for big oil companies that environmentalists do not like. Finally, Gale Norton has stood by what she believes in and in her term and in her past. Through all the controversy, Norton is continuing to do her job successfully, working with others to make a difference for the land we live on, as the Secretary of interior design. As Associate Solicitor for Conservation and Wildlife in the department of interior Norton was responsible for all legal matters involving fish, wildlife service, endangered spices, and national parks.

She fought hard to release 90,000 acres to the Big Cyprus National reserve in Florida. That now protects the everglades, which are some of the United States most precious and environmentally challenged areas. This helps keep the Florida Panther from the endangered species list. Gale Norton believes that the, "great wild places and unspoiled landscapes of this country are common heritage of all Americans". Her major issues are to preserve sensitive lands, protect endangered species, and improve infrastructure to our national parks. Her issues are focused with a business like attitude with "performance-focused approach".

This is a predominate theme in most all president Bush's cabinet appointees, wanting outcomes, and if needed, changing things to make effectiveness more apparent. Her issues on keeping our environment clean and our restore our sensitive lands is being done by communicating and partnering with America's Native American tribes. This strategy seems to be very apparent, by starting from America's roots, the people who know this land the longest, and she is targeting to improve their conditions. Then allow them to be able to keep care of their land with a mutual understanding of wanting a clean environment in America. By cleaning up our national parks and national monuments, she has taken on the position to clean our Statue of Liberty monument to restore its true color. She has successfully worked with many to come to a consensus, about cleaning our parks and national monuments.

Gale Norton has had one issue she truly feels strongly about and that is to have a healthy, clean, safe environment for Americans to live in. She sticks to her issues by focusing on our national prided lands and areas of great importance to our environment. Her issues on the environment are controversial because of Norton's value on focusing on the future of our environment. Overall, Gale Norton's stance on her issues regarding the environment is on a fast track to success and will get things done in this administration. Gale Norton holds strong on many of her issues but many disagree with what she truly stands for, those who oppose of her are calling her a hypocrite.

Strong words, but some say environmentalists have a case because of how she feels bout our National Artic Wildlife Preserve. Even though she wants to protect 99% of that land, she feels this large territory should be able to be explored for possible oil fields that good greatly benefit America's economy and oil business. This area of land she feels is an area of land that is large enough that only around 5% of that land would even be used if oil pipelines would make there way in to the preserve. This argument has made her labeled by the environmentalists as a "big oil company supporter".

The environmentalists feel this could only be the beginning of Norton using any of our land at any cost for big business. Her history in Colorado suggests the point that Norton does think of big business before the environment. In Colorado, back in the 1980's, while she was involved with the Mountain States legal foundation that is known in Colorado as a pro-development organization. What environmentalists think of that is, Gale Norton likes to use and take land for big business, therefore, affecting the environment and the quality of our land. Some environmentalists say, "Norton is openly hostile to federalism, federal laws and federal lands" and they say because of this she has used her law background to support anti-environmental laws over business regulations affecting the environment. She is the "antithesis of every value the secretary of interior is trusted to do" in what many extremist groups feel about Norton.

These types of quotes that come from extreme environmental activists have many other reasons why they feel Norton is not right for the job. Another reason they disagree is, Norton, they say believes pollution is a right, not a crime. Also, with her stance on removing asbestos from schools and she has been known as a lobbyist for chemical company's that are supposed of poisoning children with lead paint. Once again, more claims that she supports business rights. The many claims that she is not right for the job have been heard, but nothing has ever really come out of the anti-Norton activists. Overall, the environmental lobbyists feel she is a bad candidate for the job because she doesn't support the causes they believe the department of interior's focus should really be.

Since her appointing as Secretary of interior, she has had more praise than controversy. Norton has continued her stance on exploring land in the Artic, because she feels if there are discoveries of mass quantities of oil it will continue to better the world we live in. Many have been pleased including opposition groups such as the Sierra Club, who Norton has had differences with in the past when she was with the Mountain States legal foundation. "We can talk to Gale Norton. She was always willing to discuss things with us" said Tina Arapkiles of the Sierra Club. They have described her as a person of great intelligence, a good lawyer, smart, ethical, and some one that is approachable.

They also say that she is an enterprising person by putting the issues such as oil exploration, on the front lines of her office agenda. She is a person who is expecting results and is willing to take on new and different practices to get the job done. The 48th Secretary of interior is the first female to head the position, in the 151-year history of that federal agency. She has a 20 year career in environmental laws also has had the history of bringing people together to find solutions to problems concerning our environmental problems.

Although because of her pro-industry positions, Norton's nomination has still been scrutinized by many in the conservation community. Overall, Norton has a lot more to prove in her term while she tries to prove that she was the best one for the job. Gale Norton's views for the environment affect our land's most precious areas including our everglades, our national parks, and our monuments. She has one goal overall, and that's to get things done by working together with all who oppose and agree to come up with a compromising solution for every thing.

Eventually, after we have discovered oil in Alaska and our National parks are healthy, America will be even greater that it was when she started. With her knowledge of how, businesses work and the prior experiences she has had in law, which will guide her in making the correct decisions for our environment. There will always be critics who don't believe in the same thing as she does. The way to silence those critics is to grow America and not antagonize growth of environmental, but keeping everything clean will be the success story that I think we will end up hearing from Gale Norton.