[AER] Federal Change - finally

[Ruthgerson@aol.com]

 Be interesting to know how this happened and why. Whether this will be an 
advantage or disadvantage to the equine world we will find out.
 
Subject: Denver Post: Hefley furious at choice for panel

Message from Arletta: Just read this in the Denver Post. You're probably 
aware of this already. Hefley furious at choice for panel New lands chief 
pro-development
By <A HREF="mailto:msoraghan@denverpost.com">Mike Soraghan</A>
Denver Post Washington Bureau

Friday, January 10, 2003 - WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders chose Rep. 
Richard Pombo, a California rancher and committed foe of the Endangered 
Species Act, to oversee public lands and environmental protection in the West 
as chairman of the House Resources Committee. 
Pombo leapt ahead of more senior contenders in part because of his ability to 
raise money, said an infuriated Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colorado Springs. Hefley, 
chairman of the House ethics committee, said Pombo's selection gives the 
appearance that powerful posts can be bought.
"Fundraising evidently was an enormous part of it," Hefley said. "It's 
unseemly. It's like buying seats, and we shouldn't do that."
Pombo's supporters said he was a solid Republican fundraiser before rising to 
the powerful committee post.
Hefley said that nine-term Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., should have gotten the 
job, or that if House leaders wanted a senior Westerner, they should have 
picked him.
A spokesman for Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, played down the role of 
fundraising in the selection, saying "that was not the determining factor."
The selection of Pombo, a champion of property rights and Wise Use groups, 
was hailed by industry leaders, off-road vehicle enthusiasts and 
property-rights activists. Wise Use groups advocate development rather than 
preservation of federal lands.
But Pombo said he plans to "reach across party lines" to work with Democrats.
"As chairman, it's now my responsibility to bring everybody together and get 
them to work together," Pombo said. "I'm sure the other members will be 
willing to get to work and get the things done their constituents elected 
them to do."
Environmentalists weren't buying that line. They didn't expect an ally to 
head the committee but said they're now facing a particularly able adversary. 
And, they said, his selection belies Republican efforts to cast themselves as 
moderates on environmental issues.
"He doesn't believe there is another side," said Scott Stoermer, spokesman 
for the League of Conservation Voters. "I don't believe he takes his 
positions based on political calculations. He firmly believes they're the 
right position."
The Resources Committee oversees hundreds of millions of acres of public 
lands in the West. It also oversees the Interior Department, Forest Service 
and environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act.
Pombo is a rancher from California's Central Valley who always wears a 
trademark white Stetson hat in congressional photos. Although he's known as a 
hard-line conservative, he's also considered a soft-spoken, courteous man who 
has developed personal friendships with liberal lawmakers such as Rep. George 
Miller, D-Calif., who have fought him on policy issues.
Pombo has a low lifetime rating of 8 out of 100 from the League of 
Conservation Voters, while the League of Private Property Voters has named 
him a "champion."
While in Congress, Pombo has traveled across the country holding hearings on 
what he considers the excesses of the Endangered Species Act and even 
advocated for continued hunting of elephants in Africa for their ivory tusks.
His selection by a 28-member Republican steering committee ends a bitter 
intraparty feud between seven lawmakers. Duncan, who once compared an 
environmental campaign to Nazi propaganda, was considered a more moderate 
consensus candidate.
Pombo had the sixth-lowest seniority among the seven candidates. In addition 
to showing his fundraising prowess, Pombo campaigned for nearly a year, 
starting right after then-committee Chairman James Hansen, R-Utah, announced 
his retirement. And Pombo tapped into a grassroots network of conservative 
activists he has built since his 1992 election.
He also had the support of DeLay's "political machine," Hefley said. 
Nicknamed "The Hammer," DeLay isn't shy about linking votes to campaign 
contributions.
Hefley, dean of the Colorado House delegation, campaigned to block Pombo and 
preserve the seniority system. Although one of Pombo's first moves was to 
meet with committee staff and reassure them, Hefley believes passing over so 
many senior members will cause resentment.
"DeLay buys himself some ill will," Hefley said. "Pombo buys himself some ill 
will."
Democrats were all but silent on Pombo's selection, saying that for now they 
will take his pledge of bipartisanship at face value.
Pombo said he plans to focus on overhauling the Endangered Species Act, which 
he believes infringes on people's right to use their property as they wish, 
and on re-drafting a comprehensive energy bill, a top priority of President 
Bush. Allies said he could also take a look at the Antiquities Act, the 1906 
law that allowed former President Clinton to declare millions of acres in the 
West as national monuments.
"There will be a commitment to address some of the abuse suffered by federal 
land users and people who have suffered under the Endangered Species Act," 
said Myron Ebell, who tracks environmental issues for the conservative 
Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Pombo could also play a key behind-the-scenes role in the struggle between 
California and other Western states over allocation of Colorado River water.
Although he's a pro-development conservative, Pombo tends to focus more on 
the small-business owner, rancher or property owner rather than large oil 
companies or timber companies, said Mike Hardiman, a property-rights lobbyist 
who used to work for Pombo.
"The little guy is going to have a seat at the table now," Hardiman said. 
"It's going to be more than big green and big business."