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For Immediate Release, April 10, 2013

Contact: Bill Snape, (202) 536-9351

Sally Jewell Confirmed as Next Interior Secretary

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Senate today confirmed Sally Jewell as the next secretary of the Interior Department. The REI chief executive, nominated by President Barack Obama to replace Ken Salazar, won confirmation by a vote of 87 to 11.

“Sally Jewell arrives at a critical moment for the Interior department. America’s public lands and endangered species need strong, visionary leadership that values protections over profits,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re hopeful that Sally Jewell shows brave leadership in finally addressing the climate crisis, reversing the tide of species extinctions and protecting wildlands that are vital to wildlife and people alike.”

Among the agencies Jewell will oversee at Interior are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

“We look forward to the new Interior secretary bringing the same kind of passion and advocacy for preserving wild places as she did during her time with REI,” Suckling said. “One of the biggest challenges will be standing up to protect the environment in the face of relentless pressure by industry to drill, mine, log and pave some of America’s most important and pristine lands, including the Arctic. If she can do that, she’ll preserve an important legacy for all Americans.”

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 500,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


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