Ex-Park Service Workers Say Bush Reneges on Promises (washingtonpost.com): "In an Aug. 15 letter to President Bush and Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, the 123 former employees contend that the administration has sacrificed preservation for profit in its policies on park maintenance, air pollution enforcement, road development and snowmobile use on federal lands and encouraged the movement of park service jobs to the private sector.
'[Y]ou are strangling the very core of park stewardship, sidestepping the important issues that are facing the parks and ignoring the operational budgets of the parks,' wrote the former employees, including four past directors of the park service. 'We are seeing evidence at every turn that when private for-profit interests vie with resources of the park, the private interests, and not principle, governs.'"

In related news, Abuse of Power claimed in the Dept. of Interior: Deputy Secretary of the Interior J. Steven Griles. is accused of conflicts of interests and a campaign has been launched to have him fired. It is reported he still receives $284,000.00 a year from his old firm, National Environmental Strategies.
"During his confirmation hearings, Griles signed a recusal document promising not to lobby on behalf of his former clients. According to documents obtained using the Freedom of Information Act, however, he has lobbied on behalf of those clients to loosen regulations surrounding coalbed methane development in the Rocky Mountain West. Coalbed methane development threatens to waste over one trillion gallons of public water in the arid West pollute groundwater and destroy animal habitats.
Further violating his recusal, Griles has met with numerous former clients and business partners associated with issues from which he supposedly recused himself. Time and time again, the deputy secretary has favored industry demands over environmental protection. He has allowed – and is continuing to allow – public land to be used by private interests for private gain. Once depleted and spoiled, the bulk of this land will be incapable of being restored to its original condition, or anything close.
During the Reagan administration, Griles was involved in selling 17,000 acres of federal land to a private company for $42,000, well below market value. Several months later, the buyers resold the land, and turned a $37 million profit. "
- posted by geoff @ #