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Fierce Opponent of the Endangered Species Act Picked to Oversee Wildlife Policy
If there's one thing we can count on from Trump and his flunkies, it's that they will repeatedly staff departments with people who hate the very existence of the group they're nominated or appointed to lead. The examples are endless and infuriating. The one described herein is among the worst.
Susan Combs, a former Texas state official who compared proposed endangered species listings to “incoming Scud missiles” and continued to fight the Endangered Species Act after she left government, now has a role in overseeing federal wildlife policy.
Combs was selected by Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke as acting secretary for fish, wildlife and parks. Zinke made the move after his bid to make her an assistant secretary for policy, management and budget stalled in the Senate. The nomination has been on hold since July because of opposition from Republicans and Democrats....
Apparently Combs is so bad that even Republicans have stalled to stop her for obtaining a permament position in the Department of Interior. But that devious Zinke found a way to get Combs in there anyway.
Seemingly in retaliation, Zinke made the new appointment....
Zinke has teamed with lawmakers in the House in a bid to strip the Endangered Species Act of much of its power. Several bills would remove the act’s provisions to save species from extinction regardless of the economic impact, rely on peer-reviewed scientific data and reward conservation organizations that successfully sue to protect animals by paying their court costs.
Combs deserves none of our time but we ought to learn a bit about her so that we can practice Smart Dissent.
Combs is a rancher and former Texas comptroller with strong ties to the oil industry whose politics align with efforts to weaken the law.... she fought the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service repeatedly over its attempts to enforce the Endangered Species Act in the state.... worked to remove endangered protections for a native state songbird, the golden-cheeked warbler, claiming that its listing hurt military readiness.
....in an appearance before the legislature, Combs made the “incoming Scud missiles” remark.... records showing that she disagreed with “nearly every listing proposal from Washington,” questioning the science, estimates of their economic impact and the amount of resident input.
Another winner (loser) running our country, seeking to help corporate interests every second of the day at any cost.