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FEBRUARY 13, 2001

In an interview on Monday, Secretary of Interior Gale Norton made the case for drilling in the Arctic, criticized her predecessor Bruce Babbitt for not engaging in local consultation before making decisions, and said the country can learn from its past environmental successes and failures.

For those who have paid attention to the controversial Cabinet member in recent weeks, these views might seem a bit familiar. From her acceptance of President George W. Bush's nomination in December to her testimony before the Senate in January to her media interviews in February, Norton has focused on these three key points, using them to send a message about her views on the environment and public lands management.

Whether or not this message is credible remains to be seen. To her supporters, the statements represent the consistent, fair, and balanced view they say she will take as head of the Interior Department.

To her detractors, however, they represent what is unknown about Norton, who has yet to make any major decision as Secretary. Environmentalists and lawmakers alike have noted she has declined to address directly a number of issues on which she may have taken a clear stance during her 20-year career as a private lawyer and public official.

"Under the heat of Senators' inquiries, Norton ducked many questions, but she made some commitments to enforcing laws that she had previously advocated against as a lawyer and lobbyist," said Carl Pope, executive director of The Sierra Club, one of several organizations who campaigned against her confirmation.

Some of the issues Norton has avoided involve decisions affecting tribes throughout Indian Country. She denied knowledge of a decision to restore waters flows to California's Trinity River even though she worked at the Interior when the Reagan administration and Congress began addressing the issue.

The decision, which benefits the Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Yurok Tribe, was finalized by Babbitt in December and one of its main goals is to restore declining runs of salmon listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Yet since January, Norton has prided herself on her endangered species work during the Reagan administration and subsequently as Attorney General for Colorado.

Norton's record as Attorney General also has tribal advocates worried and one which she has yet to address publicly. In several Supreme Court cases, she argued against tribal jurisdiction over lands in Montana, Alaska, and elsewhere -- positions which Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo) has dismissed, saying she was working at the "directive" of former Democrat Governor Roy Romer.

But in a move critics say is a legacy of Norton's anti-Indian agenda, Ken Salazar, her successor under Republican Governor Bill Owens, last month signed a Supreme Court brief opposing the right of the Navajo Nation to tax non-Indian businesses on non-Indian owned land. Norton signed onto a similar case affecting the Crow Tribe of Montana.

Norton's immediate test of her commitment to Indian issues may soon come with the acceptance of decisions made under Babbitt. Norton and her staff are currently reviewing final decisions to recognize the Chinook and Duwamish Tribes, final regulations affecting trust land acquisition, a preliminary decision to recognize the Nipmuc Nation of Massachusetts, and a proposed regulation which would allow members of the Hopi Tribe to collect baby golden eagles in the Wupatki National Monument in Arizona.

Relevant Links:
The Department of Interior - www.doi.gov
Stop Gale Norton - www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/
stop-norton/index.html

Related Stories:
Campbell criticized for radio talk (2/8)
Survey: Norton bad for tribes (Politics 2/6)
Norton focuses on building consensus (Politics 2/5)