Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) promised to clean up the Interior Department at his confirmation hearing today.

In his opening remarks, Salazar cited ethical scandals and criminal activity that have tainted the department. He described the tenure of former Secretary Gale Norton -- a fellow Coloradan -- as "six years gone bad" but credited current Secretary Dirk Kempthorne for taking steps to address the issue.

Salazar also said he and president-elect Barack Obama will work to address economic development in Indian Country and improve education for Indian children. He did not directly address the Indian trust debacle in his opening statement.

The hearing is being broadcast by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. An archive of the webcast will be available later today.

Committee Notice:
To consider the nomination of Ken Salazar to be Secretary of the Interior (January 15, 2009)

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