WASHINGTON, DC, February 26, 2009 (ENS) – “Gary knows the American Dream. He’s lived it. And that’s why he shares my commitment to do whatever it takes to keep it alive in our time,” President Barack Obama said Wednesday, announcing former Washington Governor Gary Locke as his choice to lead the Commerce Department.

“It is the task of the Department of Commerce to help create conditions in which our workers can prosper, our businesses can thrive, and our economy can grow,” the President said. “That’s what Gary did in Washington state, convincing businesses to set up shop and create the jobs of the 21st century – jobs in science and technology; agriculture and energy – jobs that pay well and can’t be shipped overseas.”

Locke is President Obama’s third choice to fill the position of Commerce Secretary. First, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat, bowed out because a grand jury is investigating a state contract. Then, after having approached the White House seeking the position, Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire backed out, citing philosophical differences with the President.

Accepting the nomination at the White House, Locke was the first of the nominees to mention the environmental aspect of the job.

“The Department of Commerce plays a critical role in nurturing innovation, expanding global markets, protecting and managing our ocean fisheries, and fostering economic growth,” said Secretary-designate Locke. “The Department of Commerce can and will help create the jobs and the economic vitality our nation needs.”

Gary Locke, left, accepts the nomination as Secretary of Commerce from President Barack Obama, center, as Vice President Joe Biden applauds. February 25, 2009. (Photo by Pete Souza courtesy The White House)

The Department of Commerce includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is responsible for fisheries management, the National Weather Service and climate research. 

If confirmed by the Senate, Locke will be the first Chinese-American Secretary of Commerce, and the third Asian American in Obama’s cabinet, joining Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu and Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, the most of any administration in U.S. history.

Locke served two terms as governor of Washington from 1997-2005. After leaving office, Locke joined the Seattle office of the international law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, in their China and governmental relations practice groups.

As governor, Locke was one of the first to enact regulations to limit climate change, citing the absence of a Bush administration policy to combat global warming.

In May 2005 Locke signed regulations into law requiring new power plants that burn fossil fuels to offset 20 percent of their carbon dioxide emissions. Utilities can mitigate a new plant’s emissions by investing in projects such as planting trees, which absorb carbon dioxide, or converting transit buses from diesel to cleaner-burning natural gas.

In 2003, the Democratic governors of California, Oregon and Washington, including Locke, agreed to cooperate in reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the West Coast through moves such as buying more hybrid cars for state government fleets, limiting the idling of diesel engines, and encouraging the increased use of renewable energy and energy-efficient appliances.

As governor, Locke was in step with the National Governors Association on a wide range of environmental issues.

Lock sought more state autonomy on brownfields and Superfund cleanups. He said, “Since the law was enacted in 1980, the Superfund program has caused significant amounts of litigation, while cleanup of hazardous waste sites has not been as fast or effective as the statute envisioned. In addition, states have not had the necessary tools or funding from the federal government to adequately clean up state sites.”

He supported application of “Good Samaritan” rules to abandoned mine cleanup, saying, “The Western Governors believe the Clean Water Act should be amended to protect a remediating agency from becoming legally responsible for any continuing discharges from the abandoned mine site after completion of a cleanup project, provided that the remediating agency, or ‘Good Samaritan,’ does not otherwise have liability for that abandoned or inactive mine site and attempts to improve the conditions at the site.

As governor, Locke held that the states should retain primary jurisdiction over water quantity issues, water resource allocation and the determination of beneficial uses.

He backed collaborative, incentive driven, locally-based solutions to water quality restoration, which he said is “essential for economic and environmental sustainability of forestry, agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, recreation and public water supply.”

In 2003, Governor Locke asked the U.S. Navy for an explanation of the use of sonar that may have disrupted whales and caused the death of porpoises north of Seattle.

As governor, Locke also made endangered Chinook salmon preservation a priority.

By 1999, wild salmon had disappeared from about 40 percent of their historic breeding ranges in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. In Washington, the numbers had dwindled so much that salmon were threatened or endangered in nearly three-fourths of the state.

Governor Locke and the Legislature began a series of steps to reverse the trend, renegotiating the U.S.-Canada agreement, establishing conservation goals in rivers shared with Idaho and Oregon, and funding salmon restoration and protection projects.

“In every area of the state, we’ve gotten people together to talk about the future of our salmon, and we’ve backed those discussions with funding and resources to turn the people’s vision into reality,” Locke said in 2004. “Today, every watershed with salmon has at least one citizens’ volunteer group working to restore and enhance habitats on which the fish depend.”

If he is confirmed as Commerce Secretary, Locke will be in an even stronger position to promote salmon restoration and recovery.

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WASHINGTON, DC, February 3, 2009 (ENS) – President Barack Obama today named U.S. Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, a Republican, to fill the slot of Commerce Secretary in his cabinet.

If confirmed by the Senate, Gregg will join Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Defense Secretary Robert Gates for a total of three Republicans in the Obama Cabinet.

The President called his former Senate colleague a “master of reaching across the aisle” and complimented his “strict fiscal discipline.” But Obama mentioned no environmental credentials for his choice, although the Department of Commerce governs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA.

From left, Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Judd Gregg, President Barack Obama (Photo courtesy The White House)

NOAA has many environmental functions including the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; the National Marine Fisheries Service; the National Ocean Service; the National Weather Service; and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.

“The Commerce Department has a broad and interesting portfolio,” Senator Gregg said today, “but its primary goal must be to create jobs by promoting industry, promoting economic activity, and promoting excellence in science. And I intend to pursue those avenues aggressively.”

A former congressman from 1980-1988, and a governor of New Hampshire from 1989-1993, Gregg has been serving in the Senate since 1993, and is currently ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee.

In the Senate, Gregg has a record of supporting commercial exploitation of resources, including offshore drilling, over environmental protection, although he has voted for some conservation measures.

The League of Conservation Voters’ Scorecard for the 2008 session of Congress scored Gregg at just nine percent for pro-environmental votes. His total LCV score since 1993 is 44 percent.

Republicans for Environmental Protection, a nonprofit group, issued Gregg an “environmental harm demerit” for sponsoring a Fiscal Year 2007 budget resolution that used the congressional budget process to force oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

On March 16, 2006 the Senate passed the resolution by a 51-49 vote. In the House, pro-conservation Republicans stood with Democrats to ensure that Arctic drilling was not included in the House budget resolution. The two bills were never reconciled in conference, so the Arctic refuge remains protected.

Backpackers in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Photo by Out in Alaska)

REP said drilling in the refuge “would perpetuate America’s dangerous oil dependence and damage the most scenic, wildlife-rich reserve in the circumpolar north.”

He has voted against environmental funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and did not vote to fund programs for conserving public lands and wildlife, oceans, coasts, water and farmland.

On the other hand, REP praised Gregg for helping secure passage of S. 4001, the New England Wilderness Act, which designated as wilderness nearly 35,000 acres of forests, mountains, and streams in New Hampshire and 42,000 acres in Vermont.

REP’s 2007 Congressional Scorecard rated Gregg as fourth best Republican in the Senate for environmental voting.

The University of New Hampshire renamed its Environmental Technology Building Gregg Hall, because Gregg used earmarks to secure $266 million of federal funds for research and development projects for the university.

The Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute, established in 2003, is the center of meteorological and atmospheric research at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire, which offers the only meteorology degree program in the state.

If he is confirmed by the Senate, an urgent issue Gregg will have to address at NOAA is upgrading infrastructure for responding to maritime accidents in the Arctic.

On Thursday, NOAA issued a joint report with the University of New Hampshire warning that more needs to be done to enhance emergency response capacity as Arctic sea ice declines due to climate warming and ship traffic in the region increases.

Scientists study ice patterns high in theArctic (Photo courtesy NOAA)

“The reduction of polar sea ice and the increasing worldwide demand for energy will likely result in a dramatic increase in the number of vessels that travel Arctic waters,” said Nancy Kinner, a UNH professor of civil and environmental engineering who serves as co-director of the Coastal Response Research Center, based at the university.

“As vessel traffic increases, disaster scenarios are going to become more of a reality,” she said.

The report details findings from a panel of experts and decision-makers from Arctic nation governments, industry and indigenous communities convened by the CRRC.

The panel examined five potential emergency response scenarios – a grounded cruise ship whose 2,000 passengers and crew must abandon the vessel; an ice-trapped and damaged ore carrier; an explosion on a fixed drilling rig north of Alaska; a collision between a tanker and fishing vessel that results in a large oil spill; and the grounding of a tug towing a supplies barge in an environmentally sensitive area near the Bering Strait.

“Now is the time to prepare for maritime accidents and potential spills in the Arctic,” said Amy Merten, NOAA co-director of the center. “This report clearly indicates that international cooperation and adequate resources are key to saving lives and protecting this special region.”

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