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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><font
size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Earthjustice
Statement on Nomination of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne As Interior Secretary <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Contact: Todd
True, 206-343-7340 ext. 30 or John McManus, 510-550-6707, both of Earthjustice;
Web: <a
href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/usnw/pl_usnw/storytext/earthjustice_statement_on_nomination_of_gov__dirk_kempthorne_as_interior_secretary/18415782/SIG=12v1uebu5/*http:/releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=62529&Link=http://www.earthjustice.org:80/"
title="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/usnw/pl_usnw/storytext/earthjustice_statement_on_nomination_of_gov__dirk_kempthorne_as_interior_secretary/18415782/SIG=12v1uebu5/*http:/releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=62529&Link=http://www.earthjustice.org:80/">http://www.earthjustice.org</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><st1:State
w:st="on"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>WASHINGTON</span></font></st1:State>,
March 16 /<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
Newswire/ -- The following is a statement by Todd True, Earthjustice staff
attorney, on the nomination of Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne as Interior
Secretary:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>"I wish <a
href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=President+Bush"
title="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=President+Bush
Related information on President Bush">President
Bush</a> could quit that man. Between the two of them, they've wrecked a lot of
fine country. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>"As Governor,
Kempthorne led the charge to strip protection from 60 million acres of <st1:country-region
w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>'s last wild forests and he's
consistently fought against protection for wildlife like grizzly bears and
salmon in his home state of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Idaho</st1:State></st1:place>.
He's openly hostile to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s
natural areas and wildlife -- which puts him outside the mainstream of what
people want to see for their children and their future.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>"As a
one-term Senator, Kempthorne only cast one pro- environmental vote in six
years, according to the League of Conservation Voters Scorecard. He also
introduced a bill to undermine the Endangered Species Act that was unanimously
opposed by conservation and scientific groups.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>"Gov. Kempthorne
has built his career by pushing an anti- environmental agenda and catering to
the oil, mining, and timber industries. Kempthorne is cut from the same cloth
as Gale Norton. He will be a cheerleader for the Bush administration's efforts
to open public lands to industrial development."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Advisor, California Trout, Inc</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 ph</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://www.fotr.org">http://www.fotr.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>http:www.caltrout.org</span></font></u><font
color=lime><span style='color:lime'> </span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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