WHO: J. Steven Griles is deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior. He's also the man advancing the Bush administration's assault on our public lands. WHAT: Griles is a "former" oil, gas and coal lobbyist who is now the second-in-command at the Department of the Interior -- the agency in charge of protecting our nation's natural heritage. He has led the charge to weaken the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, while pushing for an increase in mining and drilling on our public lands. SMOKING GUN: National Environmental Strategies (NES), the oil and gas lobbying firm Griles worked for, is currently paying him $284,000.00 a year as part of a $1.1 million payout for his client base. As deputy secretary of the Interior, Griles is charged with overseeing and revamping environmental regulations that affect the profits of his former clients and NES’s current clients. Read more... WHAT CAN I DO: During the Reagan administration, Secretary of the Interior James Watt proposed the same type of agenda as Griles. The environmental community collected over 1 million petition signatures to remove him and succeeded in getting him fired. By signing this petition and forwarding it to a friend, you are taking a stand against corruption and for the protection of our common assets. |