Javon is majoring in French at Valdosta State UniversityDepartment of the Interior fax outlining Bruce Babbit's position on DuPont's mining plans. The Department of the Interior is the head conservation society in the United States. The D.O.I. handles all types of situations involving national public lands and national resources, Indian Affairs, the pension offices, the patent offices and numerous other small agencies. It has control over five hundred million acres of federal lands, conservation and development on mineral and water resources, management of revenues from federal and mineral leases, coordination of federal and state recreation facilities, hydroelectric power, and a number of other tasks.
In January of 1993, newly-elected President, Bill Clinton, appointed Bruce Babbitt, a lawyer from Arizona, to the position of Secretary of the Interior. In his Letter to the American People, Babbitt states that "the land is a mirror to our national soul. How we treat it will reflect on us forever and will be the grounds for our judgements by future generations of Americans." This statement is very true. As an American, one should remember that the land is not just for us, but for everyone. That everyone encompasses these generations now as well as future generations to come. Americans recognized this threat to the environment, so they created agencies like the Department of the Interior to make sure that there would be a lasting earthly legacy for future Americans. Babbitt leads the Department of the Interior from his office (though he is not there very much) and he also helps influence and carry out the President's environmental policies.
As Secretary of the Interior, it is Babbitt's job to see to it that our land is protected and safe for everyone. However, his job is not so easy. Babbitt has to play inside the political ring as well. Many results coming from the Department of the Interior are results of numerous compromises. With such a variety of different interests in and out of the political arena, ii is often difficult to statisfy everyone all of the time.
Babbitt is an ordinary man, besides the fact that he is in the hierarchy of American Government. He was born on June 27, 1938. He married Hattie Babbitt , who is the United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States. Mrs. Babbitt is also an attorney, like her husband. The Babbitt's have two sons, Christopher and T.J., who are both attending Stanford University as undergraduates.
Babbitt's list of academic achievements are quite reputable, if not remarkable. He attended the University of Notre Dame where he received a B.A. degree in Geology in the year 1960. He then attended the University of Newcastle in the year 1962, where he received a M.S. degree in Geophysics. He then attended Harvard University where he earned his law degree in the year 1965.
After Harvard, Babbitt left the education world and entered into the private sector. He entered into private law practice, where he would remain until 1974. From 1975 until 1978, Babbitt served as Attorney General for the state of Arizona. In 1978, Babbitt was elected Governor of Arizona, where he would serve the people until 1987. He then returned to practice law until he was appointed Secretary of the Interior.
However, this was not all he did during these years. Babbitt also served as national president of the League of Conservation Voters, which is a non-profit organization that deals with environmental legislation and rates the environmental record of members of the United States Congress. Babbitt has been a major player in Democratic politics. He was a founding member of the Democratic Leadership Council. In 1985, he served as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. Then, in 1988, Babbitt was a candidate for the Democratic presidential ticket.
While in office, Babbitt has showed how the Endangered Species Act can be applied to protect open space and multiple species though a consensus-building approach called Habitat Conservation Plans. He led efforts to enact the California Desert Protection Act, which is the largest land protection bill ever enacted for the lower forty-eight states.
Babbitt and the Department have started an interagency plan, with the State of Florida and the Corps of Engineers, to aid the ecosystem of South Florida, the Everglades and Florida Bay. The Department has also helped the President's Forest Plan, which is a multi-species regional plan that protects millions of acres of old growth forest while still providing for a sustainable level of tree harvesting.
However, Babbitt has not been without criticism. In the west he has tried to raise grazing fees, exert the federal authority over water rights, reform mining and tighten environmental regulations. National Review has dubbed him, "The man the cowboys hate", just because of the feelings coming from the west.
One of Babbitt's latest tasks has been the objection to the proposed strip mining by DuPont. This company planned to strip mine for titanium along the eastern edge of the Okefenkee Swamp. This would extract titanium-bearing ore from a 38,000 acre site next to the refugee's eastern boundary. This would start in the beginning of the next century. DuPont has assured that they will replace whatever is taken out to do their job, but Babbitt has disapproved the idea.
Babbitt took a strong stance against this proposed minig. He said that there was no way that anyone could prove that it would not affect the area. In fact, he even traveled down to the area in April and even flew over Starke, Fla. in a helipcopter. He spoke at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge near Folkston. He said that the waterways would be at risk when the mining started and that is unacceptable. DuPont later called the halt to their plans to give them time to do further research.
As it goes in politics, so goes it with Babbitt. Many times he has to deal with interest groups that hold a wealthy amount of power through money. These interest groups include some that represent logging, oil, and other land interests that hold a wealthy amount of power. He is also backed by a Congress that does not support him. Babbitt has been extremely successful while facing these difficulties and has done as well as could be expected.
In the last few months, Babbitt has traveled extensively over
the U.S. talking to people about the attempts by Congress to roll
back the bipartisan legacy of sound conservation and enviornmental
protection laws. Just as a note of inspiration, in January,
Babbitt carried the first grey wolf and set her in Yellowstone
Park. This is the first time a grey wolf has been in America
for sixty years. References http://moby.ucdavis.edu/GAWS/107/1xray/homej.htm http://www.doi.gov/bab_bio.html http://www.doi.gov/doi_bbly.html Fax transmittal from DOI COMMUNICATION New York Times "Official Attacks Plan for Mining Project", Fri. April 4, 1997
Jacksonville Times-Union "Mining Controversy", Apr.
4, 1997
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