A list of the Interior Department advisory group assembled by President-elect Bush reads like a who’s who of representatives from the logging, mining, and oil drilling industries. Which isn’t surprising, given the background of Bush’s nominee to head the department, Gale Norton. Norton in 1998 founded what is now called the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, whose kick-off gathering was sponsored by the National Coal Council, Chemical Manufacturers Association, National Mining Association, and Chlorine Chemical Council. Enviros are hoping to derail Norton’s nomination, and they are also up in arms over Bush’s choice to head the Energy Department, defeated Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.).
