Pres.-elect George W. Bush has selected Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.) to be US Secretary of Energy.
And, in a move that likely will spark opposition from environmentalists and some members of Congress, Bush named former Colorado Atty. Gen. Gale Norton to be secretary of the US Department of the Interior.
In another key nomination of interest to the US petroleum industry, Bush in mid-December nominated New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman to be the next administrator of the US Environ- mental Protection Agency. Bush has pledged to elevate that position to a cabinet-level post.
New energy secretary
A one-term senator, Abraham was defeated in a close re-election contest last November. Bush said, "Sen. Abraham knows the issues of energy policy, and he understands the opportunities and challenges before us. He's ready to join me in seeking energy security for the US. We understand our national security depends upon energy security.
"In Michigan, during the campaign, I pledged a comprehensive energy policy for our country. I look forward to working with Sen. Abraham to make sure that energy is available and affordable for all Americans. We must meet rising demand for energy with new domestic exploration and production. We must produce and conserve all forms of energy in America. And we must do so in an economically sound and environmentally sensitive way."
Abraham said, "As we know, many significant energy department-related issues face us at this time, ranging from the adequacy of supply to affordability to the development of new technologies to the issues of security at our facilities and more." He noted that the administration has several individuals with "incredible expertise" in oil and gas. Bush was formerly in the oil business, as was Vice-Pres.-elect Dick Cheney.
Abraham said, "We have vast resources within the US, and these are crucial to our country's security. We can make good use of them, while at the same time, I believe, meeting our responsibilities as good stewards for the land, the air, and the water. So this is the duty of the next secretary of energy, and I am very eager to take up the task."
Abraham was not known for energy legislation in Congress. He served on the commerce, budget, judiciary, and small business committees. When gasoline prices were high last year, he cosponsored a bill with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) and others to suspend the 18.4¢/gal federal gasoline tax for 150 days. The Senate rejected the measure.
The Independent Petroleum Association of America had advocated Abraham's election in 1994.
Natural Gas Supply Association Pres. Skip Horvath said, "Abraham is a solid choice for the Department of Energy, bringing a strong understanding of competitive markets and the relationship between energy, industry, and the consumer.
"He comes from a state that is representative of the entire natural gas industry-producers, interstate pipelines, distributors, and industrial consumers. He has transcended state issues and has expanded his experience not only nationally, but into the international arena as well."
New interior secretary
Norton is described as a Republican who is conservative on economic and environmental issues. She also is named by some environmentalists as a one of the key "anti-environmental" advisors who helped Bush craft a conservative environmental agenda for his campaign.
Before being elected as Colorado's attorney general in 1991, Norton served 4 years on the staff of the Denver-based Mountain States Legal Foundation, a nonprofit legal center that champions the rights of private property ownership and multiple use of federal and state resources through the "wise use" approach to development. That group's aggressive program to remove restrictions imposed on private landowners through the Endangered Species Act and other environmental legislation has been a thorn in the side of hardcore environmental groups since 1977.
Some regard Norton as a proteg
That background could mean that the US oil and gas industry might get at least a friendlier hearing on some of the land-use issues it faces, if Norton is confirmed.
In a statement issued Dec. 29, Jerry Jordan, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, said, "The IPAA commends Pres.-elect Bush on his choice of Gale Norton as secretary of the Interior. Norton was a sound, capable attorney general in Colorado and understands the issues in the West, where federal land so dominates access to the natural resource base."
However, Norton's background is likely to focus opposition against her from several environmental groups.
Moreover, as Colorado's attorney general in 1997, Norton was at the forefront of a push for a convention of states to propose a constitutional amendment to set congressional term limits. That alone may generate some payback opposition during her confirmation hearings.
