Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: August 4, 1999

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

Babbitt Pleased with President Clinton's Nomination of
David J. Hayes as Deputy Secretary of the Interior Department

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt said today that he is pleased with President Clinton's intention to nominate David J. Hayes as Deputy Secretary of the Interior Department. The Deputy Secretary is the second in command post at the Interior and Mr. Hayes has been serving in this position in an acting capacity since April 1999. The nominee for this position is subject to confirmation by U.S. Senate.

"I am exceptionally pleased with the President's intentions to nominate David Hayes for this very important position on my management team," said Babbitt. "David is a first rate public servant who believes in addressing the issues head-on. He has been instrumental in the resolution of many difficult issues before the Department."

Acting Deputy Secretary Hayes plays a lead role in developing policy and managing issues of special importance to the Department. He works directly with Secretary Babbitt on key issues associated with Western water rights, federal land management, implementation of the Endangered Species Act, and issues involving the national parks and Indian tribes. He played a major role in the negotiations that led to the successful acquisition of Headwaters Forest in Northern California on behalf of the Clinton Administration.

Hayes joined the Interior Department in March 1997 as Counselor to the Secretary. Prior to that, he was a prominent attorney specializing in environmental and natural resource issues. He was a partner in the national law firm of Latham & Watkins (1990-97), where he chaired the firm's environmental department. Before joining Latham & Watkins, he was a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Hogan & Hartson. He is a former chairman of the Board of the Environmental Law Institute, a nonprofit research and publication center for environmental law and management professionals. He was a member of the Clinton/Gore Transition Team for the Environmental Protection Agency in 1992-93.

Mr. Hayes is a native of Rochester, New York. He received an A.B. from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, summa cum laude, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1978, where he was Note Editor of the Stanford Law Review. He clerked for Judge William Jones and Judge Louis Oberdorfer on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Hayes currently serves on the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School.

Hayes and his wife Elizabeth reside in Arlington, Virginia with their three children, Katherine, Stephen and Molly.

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