Looking West, Obama taps Vilsack, Salazar

President-elect Obama named his Interior and Agriculture
secretaries Wednesday with an eye toward renewable fuels, climate change, protection
of natural resources and the vote-rich West.

Obama tapped former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) to head his
Agriculture Department and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), who appeared at
Wednesday’s Chicago press conference clad in a cowboy hat and bolo tie, to lead
his Interior Department.

{mosads}“Together, they will serve as guardians of the American
landscape on which the health of our economy and the well-being of our families
so heavily depend,” Obama said.

Obama said that, with the selections of Vilsack, Salazar
and those he made earlier this week to head his environmental and energy teams,
he is “confident that we have the team we need to make the rural agenda
America’s agenda, to create millions of new green jobs, to free our nation from
its dependence on oil, and to help preserve this planet for our children.”

“In the end, that is not only our responsibility as
Americans, it is our obligation as stewards of God’s Earth,” he said. 

The selections drew praise from both agricultural and
environmental groups, who view both men as strong leaders in the fields of
protecting natural resources and exploring new ways to end the country’s
dependence of foreign oil.

Vilsack’s nomination was praised by farm groups and
environmental organizations, although some of the latter expressed concern over
the Iowa governor’s support for ethanol.

“I think there’s a lot to be encouraged about,”
said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group. He said Vilsack
has supported the need for conservation and has been outspoken on limiting
payments to farmers.

Congress won’t have a new farm bill to approve again
until 2013, but Vilsack could still be busy if Congress or the Obama
administration look to tighten payments to farmers before the legislation
expires. The present and former farm bills have been heavily criticized for
offering fat subsidies to wealthy farmers.

“I think there is pressure to find money wherever you can
find it, and agriculture is no exception,” said Mark Maslyn, policy director
for the American Farm Bureau Federation, the largest farm lobby group.

Other sources said Vilsack should have a role in the
healthcare debate, given the role agriculture can play in nutrition.

“The Agriculture secretary should have a seat at the
table,” said Robert Guenther of the United Fresh Produce Association.

William Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society,
hailed the selection of Salazar as “an excellent choice to lead the
Department of the Interior at a critical time when the West faces
extraordinarily complex energy, conservation, and development challenges.”

“He has a lifelong understanding and involvement in
the West’s public lands issues and, as senator, has demonstrated time and again
that protecting Colorado’s natural features is a priority for him,”
Meadows said in a statement. “He understands the need to defend the West’s
land, water, wildlife and communities while appropriately exploring for oil and
gas and other extractive resources.”