Story by Becky Pallack Arizona Daily Star
It’s not only Wild Horse and Burro Advocates that want the good Congressman to step forward and save the west.
A coalition of 238 environmental, ethnic and other groups sent a letter to President Obama Monday recommending Rep. Raúl Grijalva as the next interior secretary.
Additionally, a petition on WhiteHouse.gov urging Obama to appoint Grijalva to the post had 1,474 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
Grijalva, who was considered a leading contender for the post four years ago, when Ken Salazar was appointed, could not be reached for comment.
He is now seen as one of several possible candidates to succeed Salazar, if Salazar steps down, which isn’t definite but is widely expected.
Other possible candidates whose names have been dropped in the media include retiring Rep. Norm Dicks from Washington, former Sen. Byron Dorgan from North Dakota, former Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and outgoing Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, all Democrats.
The groups supporting Grijalva include conservation, Hispanic, recreation, animal welfare, religious, labor, youth, business and women’s groups.
“Congressman Grijalva has been a tireless and effective leader on conservation and land management issues faced by the Department of the Interior,” the groups wrote in their letter to the president. “Congressman Grijalva has unparalleled expertise with Native Americans and Indian tribes, a strong understanding of border issues, a well-established and pragmatic conservation ethic, and valuable experience with a wide variety of funding challenges.
“We strongly believe Congressman Grijalva exemplifies the modern and forward-thinking vision of the Department of the Interior.”
Among the local groups that signed in support of Grijalva are the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, the Arizona Native Plant Society, the Arizona Wilderness Coalition, the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Don’t Waste Arizona, the Mount Graham Coalition, Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, the Sky Island Alliance, Sustainable Arizona and the Tucson Audubon Society.
Grijalva is a leading Democrat on the House Committee on Natural Resources and is the ranking member in the subcommittee on national parks, forests and 
public lands.
He’s on the subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs and the subcommittee on water and power.
Grijalva wrote the National Landscape Conservation System Act, which protected 27 million acres of land, including the Agua Fria and Sonoran Desert National Monuments in Southern Arizona. And he’s the co-chair of the Congressional National Landscape Conservation System Caucus.
Other caucus memberships include the Animal Protection Caucus, Native American Caucus, National Parks Caucus, National Wildlife Refuge Caucus and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus.
Click (HERE) to visit the Arizona Daily Star and to Commnet
Related Articles
- Petition to Appoint Congressman Raul Grijalva as the 51st Secretary of the Interior (thewildlifenews.com)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
If he gets in at the moment all I care about is that he puts a stop to the round up of wild horses and burro’s immediately and brings back the ones already rounded up and in holding areas and releases them back into there home ranges.
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I hear ya.
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Here, Here! Call and email the White House everyday. First we have to call for Ken Salazar’s ‘head’/// oh I mean resignation, then demand he draft Grijalva for the position. Conversations I and others have had indicate that while he’s not actively seeking the job he would consider the offer if made. In 2008 he was too much in favor of more safety regulations on the off shore oil rigs. Production would be hindered while these new regulations were implemented and Mr. Obama was on a ‘full speed ahead’ course of action to drill and choose his buddy Ken who would do anything to get a leg up in the government.
Had Grijalva been appointed you pretty much bet the Deep Water Horizon explosion leading to the massive oil spill in the Gulf would have never happened. More importantly vast numbers of wild horses would still be running free.
I spend a lot of time on C-Span and have seen Rep Grijalva in action. He is a kind considerate man who asks the right questions and then listens attentively. Unlike Mr. Salazar’s appearance before congress where he’s quite the uppity idiot (search youtube for Ken Salazar).
We need a man with more common sense than political rhetoric. A man who cares about the lives God granted to all.
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It is good to know that someone is paying attention!
Thank you Steve Stapp for always knowing what to say when the rest of us keep silent.
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I have heard nothing but good things about this man. This would be the biggest step forward for our horses, burros our country. Pray he gets in..
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“if Salazar steps down, which isn’t definite but is widely expected.” – stepping down and getting away without any indictments is typical of kleptocracy.
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All this is if Salazar steps down. Do we really expect he will do that? From what I’ve seen of this power happy megalomaniac is that he will not give up a fight. If he does….God be praised and if this guy is as good as you people say he is then his first effort should be to stop the pre-eminated extinction of our Wild Horses and Mustangs. He should also make a big push for the Anti Horse Slaughter Act. If all this happens it would definitely bring a lot of peace to a lot of people for the New Year. Right now I just can’t keep thinking of each horse that is rounded up and every one that is slaughtered in Canada and Mexico. The Transportation Act should be way on top of the list too. If none of this happens then we need to keep trying and crying. How do we add our vote to get this man in office and Salazar out? Where should I write or who should I call. Sitting home after shoulder surgery gives me all the time in the world to call and type. Just let me know who?
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Watched him on MSNBC…..about the budget.
Great guy, but he won’t be nominated. I wish he would or one of the environmental Kennedy’s…ain’t gonna’ happen.
But keep tryin’.
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Call the White House comment line. It doesn’t take but a couple of minutes. kEEP CALLING.
WHITE HOUSE COMMENT LINE
Comments: 202-456-1111
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We have had decent folks in this appointed office before. That is why good laws came about in the first place. We have waited a long time now for the changes that our public lands needed. Now the lands have been thrown to the corporate winds and the wild ones range has been one of the first casualties of this land grab.
Why have we not got the ability to hold the 1971 Act up and enforce it????
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When it comes to the wild horse roundups, or should I say the massacre of our wild horses, the American majority has NOT been heard and the corrupt click of cattle ranchers headed by Salazar have reeked hell on the horse herds, knowingly allowing horses to die a very torturous death in Mexico! We need Raul Grijalva as Secr. of the Interior, we need him YESTERDAY! It is to me, absurd for our leaders to talk about financial solvency when no mention is made of the millions wasted on these fraudulent roundups, nor any mention made of the financially negative impact these roundups have on licensed sanctuaries and rescuers and other good hearted Americans.
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I hope he gets it. Salazar is doing the exact opposite of the clean energy program that Obama mapped out twice along with destroying our wild ones with his BLM buddies.
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Susan, I agree with you. When you think of how the BLM has recklessly wasted our money with its maladaptive wild horse and burro management program, you can see the millions of dollars whirling in the helicopter draft. That is only one piece of it. When you add what taxpayers way in subsidies to ranchers, I would rather just see that money go directly into the state coffers where wild horses and burros horse management areas exist and skip the ranchers altogether. That way our horses have land, and the states still get money for the programs that they need that perhaps is unavailable due to valuable land being tied up for another use. It makes no sense for us to subsidize ranchers who are making a huge profit.
It would be wonderful to have someone like Representative Grijala, but I fear that that President has the person he wants in this position. If you google anything about Ken Salazar and the word resign, fire, stepping down, or scandal, you get 2010 Deep Water Horizon results. You might get one reference to the threat he made to Dave Phillips, but no one outside of the groups mentioned in this article is picking this story up right now. Chances are, it will end like moratorium-gate did with Deep Water Horizon’s scientific integrity breach when the results of the peer review of the government’s work was altered to make it appear that the scientists had recommended that the drilling in deep water be shut down. While Deep Water was horrific, there were100’s of rigs out there that had no problems, and that was a real problem. However, the longer you look at this event alone, the more you understand that someone with Ken Salazar’s particular lack of moral proclivities has been very useful for this administration. For the President to turn around and appoint a man of Representative Grijala’s character to this position would signal a 180 degree turn around.
We are sitting on an unbelievable amount of oil “black gold” under public lands as well as natural gas and other energy sources. While ranchers may appear to be the issue, the horses will have other competitors. However, horses and other sources of energy, even mining are not necessarily incompatible as long as the government is not afraid that the citizens will see what it is doing. That is what the horses bring—-our eyes.
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Incidentally, did anyone see the news report that Deep Water Horizon well is once again leaking into the Gulf? Seems their fix didnt work. Would be great if that would put more pressure on DOI and whats his name. Certainly should put pressure somewhere.
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http://blog.al.com/live/2012/12/cbs_makes_huge_error_in_story.html
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Whoops!
First off…it’s a “blog”. They got it “wrong” from a blog???
Second.. no one is catching or documenting (correct me if I’m wrong…and I know you would know)…’cept for maybe enviro nuts?. The killers couldn’t shove this mess under the wet carpet fast enough……because DOI ain’t doin’ poop ‘cept sittin’ on their bought butts to see the settlement (WAY UNDER ACTUAL COSTS) to reap in the end?
And just exactly who got fired over Deepwater?
RT…I love ya’ and your work and know what you do for a living.
I disagree with you…but that disagreement may or may not help the equines because we are still discussing bad people/corps.
It may explain why DOI and USDA are still killing equines (and everything else that moves)…and why you don’t kill equines. You and crew have a conscience…DOI/USDA/States don’t.
So who does that leave?….for the wildlife and wild equines I mean.
So Deepwater ain’t leakin’……you really want to go there?
I thought it was coming from current shifts and tides because there are liters on the ocean floor….but I’m an idiot.
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Uhmmm..Slaughterczar is there and no exit date….Prez HAS NEVER DISCUSSED wild equines or /and Grijalva has said he doesn’t want the job (maybe he knows something?)
Land via USDA and DOI and state ag agencies are an open map for the rapers. NO one will stand up o them.
It is bad folks…and not just for the wild equines.
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Denise…in answer to above, I was concerned, deeply, if the well was leaking as we live on the Gulf and witnessed, all the way over in Texas, what a toll it took on the wildlife. Although not equine related I carry a special passion for sea life..so I quickly researched the news and found the above article right behind the CBS report. I simply put it up there in hopes of it being correct and to help folks stay focused on what we are talking about here.
It had nothing to do with my paying job and everything to do with care and concern for our precious and unique Gulf of Mexico, it is a living and breathing entity unto itself.
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I have NEVER confused your humanity versus paying job (although, I believe one can do both with the right people).
And, in deference to your expertise…the slicks being produced are from where?….I still believe they are from the bottom, (depends on grade of crude, etc) current, tide shift, storms up and now visible….not necessarily a leak, but just as real as the first blowout day….except for the dead workers.
Now, I say you can apply the same mind set to the DOI/USDA/States and we essentially have the same clean up mess with wildlife (and equines), water, etc….’cept the water, land and wildlife will be dead.
In conclusion, outside of the erroneous CBS report and your blog reference….do we have any scientists to support or disclaim either side of the “Deepwater leak” report?
I’d be impressed, as last I heard the government ain’t looking after anything….especially the wild equines.
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We are over due for a Congressman who has spunk, leadership, loves our wild horses and burros, all wild life, has respect for the laws to protect the ones that cannot speak for themselves, makes important decisions to keep our National Parks intact, keeps our public lands pristine and preserved for future generations. Yes Congressman Grijalvala for Secretary of the Interior is a great choice. We need someone in this position that can make decisions saving one of the most important icons of history our wild horses. We can put them back out on the ranges with proper monitoring or food sources and water. This is clearly a concept that will work. Stop the BLM copter massacre and assault on our young and older wild horses and burros. the damage that has already been caused is pounding in my aching soul. The retched reactions are tainted with blood and turmoil as if it were Custards last stand. Well, we horse advocates and warriors have many solutions to this horror flick. We will change our horses outcomes because we care so deeply and will never give into the anguish and pain that has been caused by the reckless abuse of power by BLM reps who think they know it all. We know better my friends what to do and how to help them. Listen to the ones that work with horses everyday.
We know, we understand their needs, emotions, we dream of the day they we be able to run free once again on our lands, protected all the days of their lives and their family bands will be together not torn apart. We must fight for them. We will not rest until this is done right. This is our horses time now and we must make our stand firm and strong. I believe we can make great change and create more jobs in helping our National Parks and helping to monitor our precious resources, our wildlife, our trees, our water, our land. We know best, we do and we will change the world because of this. Our horses are crying out help us, we must help them NOW.
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