OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

To: Members of the media

From: Mark Pfeifle, Press Secretary, Department of the Interior

The Washington Post chose not to publish the following letter to the editor. I wanted to make sure key reporters and the American people had an opportunity to read it.

To the Editor:

In The Washington Post's August 9 story "Not Exactly an Emergency, but Norton Is Given First Aide," a member of an interest group unfairly characterized Department of the Interior appointees.

I served the Department of the Interior for 34 years as a career employee before President Bush asked me to leave retirement and lead the Bureau of Reclamation.

In another example, my colleague, National Park Service Director Fran Mainella, recently ran the Florida park service and was honored for running the nation's best state park system. And, by the way, she's a former member of the Democratic Party. Chip Groat, our director of the U.S. Geological Survey, was first appointed by the previous administration and has been asked by the president to continue serving the department.

Other Interior appointees had successful careers serving the American people in government, working to promote conservation for nonpartisan think tanks and learning to cooperate with all parties in the private sector.

Although our biographies are not all alike, all of the president's confirmed appointees at Interior have a common bond: We all believe strongly in working to leave our nation's public lands and our waters better for future generations of American families to enjoy.

We also all practice what Secretary Gale Norton calls the "4-C's." They are communication, consultation and cooperation, all in the service of conservation. By listening to all people and working cooperatively, we are creating a model for lasting solutions and achievement.

John W. Keys, III

Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

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