Speculation is mounting that Montana Gov. Marc Racicot (R) would be a likely candidate for Interior secretary should George W. Bush win the presidency. Racicot yesterday joined other Western governors, including Dirk Kempthorne (R-Idaho) and John Kitzhaber (D-Ore.), in calling on the next president to give more weight to state and local governments in deciding how to protect public lands and endangered species. Gathering in Boise, Idaho, at an annual Western lands policy symposium, the governors also floated the proposal that the U.S. Forest Service, which is now part of the Department of Agriculture, be shifted to the Interior Department, which houses the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The governors complained that it is difficult for states to deal with so many different federal agencies overseeing natural resources.
