Sally Jewell Can Enhance President Obama’s Conservation Legacy

Environment America

Washington, D.C. — As President Obama is expected to nominate Sally Jewell, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) chief executive, as next Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Margie Alt, executive director of Environment America, released the following statement:

“Sally Jewell is a strong choice as the next Secretary of the Interior given her passion for the great outdoors and the values that have driven her work as a volunteer and a philanthropist. She has a track record of success working towards conservation. We look forward to working with her to continue President Obama’s legacy of protecting some of our most treasured public landscapes, waterways and habitats, while moving us toward a clean energy future.

“Many of America’s public landscapes, from the forests of the Pacific Northwest to the beaches along the gulf coast, are at increased threat from overdevelopment and pollution from mining, drilling and logging. Environment America hopes to continue working with the Department of the Interior to permanently protect some of our most iconic public places, such as the San Juan Islands; stop dirty drilling within our forests, near our parks and along our other beautiful landscapes; keep offshore drilling out of new areas, including the Arctic; and swiftly and responsibly harness pollution-free wind power off of our coasts. As Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell would have an immediate opportunity to make a positive impact on protecting our public lands by ensuring that the forthcoming rules for fracking are dramatically stronger than initially proposed.”