The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Kierán
Suckling, Executive Director, (520) 275-5960

Center for Biological Diversity Response to Secretary Salazar's Splitting of Minerals Management Service

In
response to
Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's announcement today,
Center for Biological Diversity executive director, Kieran Suckling,
said:

TUSCON, AZ

In
response to
Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's announcement today,
Center for Biological Diversity executive director, Kieran Suckling,
said:

"Secretary
Salazar seems to have listened to critics who pointed out that his
plan
last week to divide the Minerals Management Service in two did
nothing to
address the agency's conflict of interest because it put the
environmental-permitting process in the same division with the
revenue-collection process. Today's announcement for the first time
splits out the environmental-permitting program.

"It
is only a baby step forward, but at least it is in the right
direction.

"However,
nothing in this procedural reform ensures that the Minerals
Management
Service will fix its substantive failures that contributed to the
disaster
in the Gulf of Mexico. The secretary should order the agency to
permanently
cease issuance of all oil-drilling approvals under environmental
waivers.
He should order a halt to the issuance of drilling approvals until
the
agency obtains the legally required permits under the Endangered
Species
Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

"Confidence
in the Department of the Interior will not be restored until the
American
people start seeing real substantive reforms."

At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.

(520) 623-5252