Bob Abbey, BLM director is taking over Minerals Management Service. RL Miller looks at Abbey’s past in the revolving door-
Mr. Abbey Goes to Washington, Cleans Up MMS. Or Not. By RL Miller. Daily Kos.
Is a man who hasn’t reformed the BLM the one who will reform MMS?
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Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is past President of the Western Watersheds Project.
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The quotes of Mr. Abbey (not Ed) are quite telling – that is they are telling us that he is an idiot!
You could half as far as he did with BLM and still make improvements at MMS.
Very true! It won’t take a great leader to get the personnel in that agency to just stop using the office conference tables as places for fornicating, literally fornicating, with industry lobbyists and that will be a great step forward for the MMS. Idiot or not and I’m not celebrating Abbey’s intellect, the MMS is such a target rich environment for even the most basic reform gestures that Abbey will make a great positive improvement just getting the agency up to zero.
R. Abbey has just one quote in the item at the Daily Kos…
“appropriate public lands, not all public lands, should continue to be accessible for mineral extraction.”
I don’t see how this quote tells us “that he is an idiot!”
Here’s another quote, from another source:
” Abbey had harsher words for ATV drivers and said that “the irresponsible use of off-road vehicles” was “one greatest challenges facing land managers today. There appears to be a total disregard by many off-roaders to the impacts from their actions,” he said. “The public land managers have no other option than to close more of these lands to off-road vehicle use unless off-roaders begin exercising responsibility and better judgment.” (19)
http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Robert_Abbey
I don’t see the idiocy in this quote, either.