Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern regarding the recent nomination of Rebecca Wodder as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Until recently, Ms. Wodder served as president of…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern regarding the recent nomination of Rebecca Wodder as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Until recently, Ms. Wodder served as president of American Rivers, an environmental organization that specializes in the removal of dams across the United States. Under the direction of Ms. Wodder, American Rivers removed over 200 dams in 13 states from 1999 to 2010. In total, the organization claims credit for the removal of 150 dams across America. In many cases, the lawsuits that preceded the removal of these dams cost U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars. This clearly demonstrates that Ms. Wodder's agenda hinges on practices that result in the expenditure of vast amounts of federal time and money in exchange for the promotion of an environmental agenda that has shown questionable results.
The Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks oversees and coordinates all policy decisions made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. For someone who has spent much of her career battling the very agencies she will control, this is a prime example of the fox guarding the hen house. Indeed, American Rivers touts the fact that they have ``secured the planned removal of more than 100 dams on some 55 rivers in the next five years.'' I doubt very seriously whether Ms. Wodder will conduct an unbiased assessment on the merits of these and other projects during her tenure at the Interior Department.
American Rivers is currently party to seven lawsuits against American taxpayers and the federal government. At a time when Congress is attempting to get our fiscal house in order, we do not need a litigious leader who has brought millions of dollars in lawsuits against our government.
Furthermore, many Americans living along rivers depend on them to support their livelihoods. During this summer alone, flooding has caused insurmountable damage to these communities. If we are going to expend capital on our inland waterways, Congress and the Obama Administration should be focused on maintaining flood control and preserving valuable river infrastructure, not increasing the disparity of funding between fish and wildlife conservation measures and human protection.
The protection of wildlife is a valid concern that should be addressed in a thoughtful manner. However, when efforts to protect wildlife result in irresponsible policy decisions, we must take a stand for the safety of our constituents.
I was proud to join 38 of my colleagues from all corners of this country in sending the following letter to the Senate. In light of not only the country's current financial crisis but also devastating floodwaters that continue to batter our river communities, I urge all of my colleagues in the House and the Senate to carefully consider the nomination of Rebecca Wodder as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The consequences for millions of Americans could be dire.
Hon. Barbara Boxer,
Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
Hon. James Inhofe,
Hon. Lisa Murkowski.
Dear Senators: As you consider President Obama's nomination
of Ms. Rebecca Wodder as Assistant Secretary for Fish,
Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior, we
respectfully write to let you know of our serious concerns
with her record as the head of American Rivers, a single-
purpose interest group focused on litigating against the
federal government and removing economically important
infrastructure. We seriously question whether she could
adequately represent broader and more balanced interests at
the federal level, especially at a fragile economic time with
national unemployment exceeding nine percent.
The position for which Ms. Wodder has been nominated
oversees the management of at least 180 million federal acres
and would have a direct influence on current and potential
federal regulations impacting private lands, water rights,
energy projects and other infrastructure. This is troubling
given her past activities at the Wilderness Society and
American Rivers, a non-governmental organization with a long
record of receiving American taxpayer dollars while actively
litigating against the federal government on multiple fronts.
Between 1988 and 2011, American Rivers has either sued or
been a party to 150 lawsuits against various parties, mostly
the federal government. In fact, American Rivers is currently
party to seven lawsuits against American taxpayers and the
federal government.
One illuminating piece of litigation revolves around
American Rivers' longstanding lawsuit against the federal
government's operation of four multi-purpose dams in the
Pacific Northwest. These dams, located on the lower Snake
River in Washington state, provide multiple benefits
including emissions-free, renewable hydroelectricity (enough
power to serve a city the size of Seattle), navigation to
deliver agricultural products to market, recreation and the
good-paying jobs associated with these benefits. Writing in
the August 25, 2003 edition of The Dissident Voice, Ms.
Wodder wrote that ``Breaching the four dams on the lower
Snake River would be the single most effective way to bring
back wild salmon.'' This is a completely unproven statement
and the reality is breaching these dams is an extreme action
that would have devastating economic impacts across an entire
region while not actually assisting fish recovery. Despite
broad agreement, including from the Obama Administration, on
a biological opinion for Columbia Basin salmon recovery, Ms.
Wodder's organization continues an over decade long lawsuit
campaign against the federal government in an effort to
demolish these dams.
There are numerous examples of how the policies advocated
by Ms. Wodder at American Rivers will have serious impacts
throughout the country. First, she effectively advocated for
federal regulations that caused up to 40 percent unemployment
in parts of the San Joaquin Valley, California by diverting
farm water under the guise of protecting the Delta smelt, a
three-inch fish. Second, she endorsed last Congress'
controversial legislation (H.R. 5088 and S. 787) that many
argued could allow the EPA to regulate street and gutter
water run-off and man-made ditches. This could cause
significant job loss throughout rural America and the
National Association of Counties, a non-partisan entity
composed of locally elected officials, was concerned that
this legislation could lead to ``more court cases'' and
federal groundwater regulation. Third, by naming the
Susquehanna River as one of ``America's most endangered
rivers,'' her organization attempted to stifle the domestic
production of affordable natural gas through hydraulic
fracturing.
Furthermore, we are also concerned that this appointment
may run afoul of President Obama's own goal of ensuring that
political appointees would not work on regulations or
contracts directly and substantially related to their prior
employer. Ms. Wodder has received significant, long-term
compensation during her tenure at American Rivers. As
previously noted, the organization currently has numerous
pending lawsuits against the very agencies over which she
would have regulatory authority and for others that directly
or indirectly have been involved in litigation with the
Interior Department. This creates a very real and serious
conflict of interest.
As Members of the House of Representatives, we appreciate
the unique role of the Senate in the confirmation process.
Nonetheless, the policies advocated by this nominee would be
so detrimental to jobs, our economy and the livelihood of
rural Americans that we felt compelled to make our views
known and ask that you take them into consideration.
Sincerely,
Blaine Luetkemeyer.