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Idaho Gov. Kempthorne named to Interior

Thu Mar 16, 2006 at 07:22:42 PM EST

Pretty much exactly the sort of pro-development, right-wing, crony-friendly type one would expect Bush to appoint. Served a term in the Senate, which will presumably smooth the confirmation process. Various quotes and comments in the extended copy.

Here's a few links to other commentary on the subject:
mcjoan, front page on dKos
from the Idaho Statesman
blog comment from New West Network

commentary :: :: :: buzz-it!

From Earth Justice:

"As Governor, Kempthorne led the charge to strip protection from 60 million acres of America's last wild forests and he's consistently fought against protection for wildlife like grizzly bears and salmon in his home state of Idaho. He's openly hostile to America's natural areas and wildlife -- which puts him outside the mainstream of what people want to see for their children and their future.
"As a one-term Senator, Kempthorne only cast one pro- environmental vote in six years, according to the League of Conservation Voters Scorecard. He also introduced a bill to undermine the Endangered Species Act that was unanimously opposed by conservation and scientific groups.

From New York Times:

Senate Democrats are likely to question Mr. Kempthorne closely about his views on the relationship between federal and state government, particularly on logging, road-building and other issues that many Westerners accuse Washington of taking over, to the detriment of the individual states.
In recent years, Democrats have often found interior secretaries in Republican administration's (like James G. Watt early in the Reagan administration) more concerned with helping oil, mining and timber interests than in protecting the land, air and water. Republicans, in turn, have defended their policies as common-sense alternatives to what some consider to be the overly emotional and restrictive views of environmentalists.
Lawmakers and environmental groups are likely to press Mr. Kempthorne closely for his views on the proper balance between economic activity and environmental preservation. But even if Mr. Kempthorne's nomination encounters opposition, he would seem to have a good chance of being confirmed. Senators are generally friendly to former members of the chamber, and Republicans have 55 of the 100 seats.

National Environmental Trust:

"He also has something Gale Norton didn't: a tight web of relationships with the restive Republican majority in the Congress, where the Bush White House badly needs help.
"As a senator and a governor, Dirk Kempthorne has been an unabashed champion of the resource extraction and development interests that profit most from public lands. He has led the fight to open the last untouched 30 percent of the national forests to logging, mining and oil and gas drilling. He granted the only permit to mine Idaho's state forests. He led the fight to weaken the Endangered Species Act, long opposed by real estate interests. Last but not least, he fought efforts to regulate arsenic in drinking water from both the Senate and the Idaho State House.
"At a time when these controversial issues need a leader who can find common ground, the president could not have chosen a more divisive nominee."

Link to Kempthorne biography from an Idaho TV station.

From Think Progress, quoting this from Knight-Ridder from 2003 when Kempthorne was under consideration to head EPA:

During Kempthorne's four-and-a-half-year tenure as governor, Idaho's pristine air has gotten dirtier, more rivers have been polluted, fewer polluters have been inspected and more toxins have contaminated the air, water and land, according to a Knight Ridder analysis of Idaho pollution data from EPA and state records.
...
In some respects, Idaho under Kempthorne has bucked national trends that showed environmental quality improving, according to EPA records on air pollution, water quality, toxic emissions and pollution enforcement.
While 35 states and the nation as a whole reduced the amount of toxins released into the environment from 1998 to 2000 - the most recent year of available data - Idaho increased emissions by 2 percent. National emissions decreased by 9 percent in the same period, an achievement Whitman hailed Monday as an environmental success story.
...
His environmental record in Washington has earned him a near-zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental political lobby. Kempthorne voted with the environmental organization only once in 70 votes.

This last article's worth clinking the link to read the whole thing. Just a few snippets about the breaking story. All in all, looks like pretty much what's to be expected from Bu$hCo. Presumably chose a former senator to smooth the confirmation process.

Kempthorne will be in contempt of court starting his first day on the job, due to the ongoing Indian Trust Suit. Doesn't sound like he's got a damn thing to offer in that regard. Presumably, his friendliness to all sorts of development was his ticket in. He'll be expected to preside over divestment of 100s of thousands of acres of public lands, and will likely be quite amenable to the task. Sigh.

I'll have to leave in-depth analysis to others.

Idaho Gov. Kempthorne named to Interior | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 hidden)

Excuse me (none / 0) (#1)

"I'll have to leave in-depth analysis to others."

I hope you get it. I suspect everyone will be as speechless as me when I read this news item.

by Welshman on Thu Mar 16, 2006 at 08:24:55 PM EST

You are excused (none / 0) (#5)

Not sure what you're saying. What I meant was I'm wildly overcommitted lately. Normally, I'd like to spend a day or two putting together a piece like this. This one dashed together at breakneck speed in an hour or so. No reflection whatsoever. Wish I had more time for it. Don't. Maybe in May?? (Sigh.)

by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 16, 2006 at 09:23:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: Sorry (none / 0) (#14)

It may have read wrongly. I meant Great diary, appalling appointment - I'm speechless - I hope others aren't!

by Welshman on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:43:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

slightly off topic... (none / 0) (#3)

but yet oddly related, is this The New Yorker article, Chilling by the climate warming writer Elizabeth Kolbert. She describes the two satellites, Tom and Jerry, that have been monitoring "tiny variations in the earth's gravitational field."

Now, almost four years to the day after they were launched, Tom and Jerry have yielded a scarily significant result: Antarctica is losing ice. The rate of loss, according to researchers at the University of Colorado, in Boulder, who analyzed changes in the continent's gravitational pull, is around thirty-six cubic miles per year. (For comparison's sake, the city of Los Angeles uses about one-fifth of a cubic mile of water annually.)

As disturbing as that is, Kolbert indicates, however,even more disturbing is the propaganda that has begun emanating out the usual suspects.

The new argument making the rounds of conservative think tanks, like the National Center for Policy Analysis, and circulating through assorted sympathetic publications goes something like this: Yes, the planet may be warming up, but no one can be sure of why, and, in any case, it doesn't matter--let's stop quibbling about the causes of climate change and concentrate on dealing with the consequences.

She points out that both a recent column in the Wall Street Journal and the National Review Online seem to all too willing to become the megaphone for such focus on the symptoms not the disease blur and obscure rhetoric.

Know that this area is one of your interests, Land of Enchantment, so posting it here just in case you hadn't seen it yet.

by Cho on Thu Mar 16, 2006 at 08:48:21 PM EST

Satellites named 'Tom and Jerry'? (none / 0) (#4)

We're pinning our hopes on high tech named after cartoon characters? Beyond surreal!!

by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 16, 2006 at 09:20:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: LOE, you have to allow for engineers,geeks, (none / 0) (#26)

and scientists that have senses of humor.
it may often appear absent and at other times, it's only the geeks who get their own jokes, but the funnybone is probably present more often than not ;-)

by luaptifer on Sat Mar 18, 2006 at 02:40:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

His own private Abramoff? (none / 0) (#6)

User 'pigpaste' on Kos posted this from the Idaho Statesman. (Gets credit for the witty subject line, too):

Kempthorne's still sore about criticism of his use of campaign funds to cover personal expenses. Now, the way he hands out multi-million-dollar business deals is under scrutiny. Kempthorne's chief of staff, Brian Whitlock, told me the governor would have no comment until he saw a bill.
The stink of favoritism in two huge state contracts has unnerved Newcomb and other loyal Republicans:

In November, Kempthorne's staff attempted to influence the award of a $30 million contract to manage the state's $3 billion road debt program to Washington Group International, which hired Kempthorne's former chief of staff, Phil Reberger, to win favor for the company. A lawsuit and criticism from federal funders forced Kempthorne's Transportation Board to go though the motions of awarding the contract a second time early this month. Now, Idaho lawmakers are making noise about withholding funding for the project, "Connecting Idaho."

The second contract is a $50 million deal between Health and Welfare and Unysis, which also hired Reberger. Unysis won the contract late last year after the Kempthorne administration disqualified EDS, which has had the job of managing Medicaid payments for 27 years. EDS is suing to halt the contract, which impacts 175,000 recipients who rely on Medicaid for health care and 17,000 providers paid through the system.

by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 16, 2006 at 09:29:49 PM EST

Ethanol (none / 0) (#7)

A quick search for Kempthorne's business interests reveals he in an officer (in his role as governor) in this corporation:

Company Name: GOVERNORS' ETHANOL COALITION
Mailing Address:
1111 "O" ST., STE. #223;P.O. BOX 95085
LINCOLN, NE 68509-5085
Type: CORPORATION (NON-PROFIT)
Status: ACTIVE
Filing Date: 9/20/2004
Date of Incorporation/Qualification: 9/20/2004
State or Country of Incorporation: NEBRASKA
Registered Agent: LARRY PEARCE
Registered Office:
SUITE 223;1111 "O" STREET
LINCOLN, NE 68509
Additional Information: BUSINESS PURPOSE: NON-PROFIT
Internal Number: 10062943

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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 07:57:43 AM EST

Owed the state of Idaho money in 2001 (none / 0) (#8)

Not quite sure what this is about:

IDAHO MAGISTRATE COURT
DEBTOR: KEMPTHORNE,DIRK (aka)
ADDRESS: [edited by wanderindiana]
CREDITOR: STATE OF ID DEPT OF H AND W
AMOUNT: $ 1,250
NUMBER: CV0132986
TYPE: CIVIL JUDGMENT
ENTERED: 09/11/2001

I imagine the Dept of H and W is Health and Welfare? Why would Dirk Kempthorne owe them $1,250?
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:05:45 AM EST

another 2001 judgment (none / 0) (#9)

He was released from this judgment two days after it was filed:

SHOSHONE MAGISTRATE COURT
DEBTOR: KEMPTHORNE,DIRK
ADDRESS: [edited by wanderindiana]
CREDITOR: CJS EXCAVATING INC AN ID CORP
AMOUNT: $ 3,000
NUMBER: CV0036140
TYPE: CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE
ENTERED: 06/06/2001
RELEASED: 06/08/2001

He's the only Dirk or "D" Kempthorne in the state, that I can tell (I searched to make sure there weren't others).

I'll be checking to see if there are news items to match these civil judgments.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:11:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

how many aka's does this guy have? (none / 0) (#11)

Just connected with the "aka" in the first judgment listing, as I found he was, apparently, defendant "Kirk (not Dirk) Kempthorne" in a 1991 wrongful demotion lawsuit. The plaintiff won.

Copyright 1991 Jury Verdicts Northwest Inc.
Northwest Personal Injury Litigation Reports
PATRICK DUNN v. KEN MORSS, KIRK KEMPTHORNE & CITY OF BOISE
Case No. 93056
Jury Trial Date: September 10, 1991 To September 16, 1991
Date of Publication: November, 1991
TOPIC: WRONGFUL DEMOTION - PARTIAL DIRECTED VERDICT. EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.
RESULT: PLAINTIFF VERDICT for $ 266,000. (Jury awarded Plff $ 215,533 wage loss, $ 46,608 for emotional distress. Motions for new trial pending.)
INJURY: Emotional distress.
SPECIALS: Lost Wages and retirement benefits ranging from $ 141,525-$ 215,533.
STATE: Idaho
COUNTY: Ada
TRIAL JUDGE: Hon. D. Duff McKee.
PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY(S): John C. Lynn of Lynn, Scott, Hackney & Jackson (Boise).
DEFENDANT ATTORNEY(S): Pat Furey & Lawrence Smith of Imhoff & Lynch (Boise).
SUMMARY: 3/23/89 - Date of termination. Plff, male age 45, fireman. Plff contended he was wrongfully demoted in violation of his First Amendment rights; that he criticized his superiors on matters of public concern and was demoted shortly thereafter.
PLAINTIFF EXPERT(S): Dwayne Barney Ph.D. (Economist-Professor, Boise State University) Boise.
OFFER: $ 150,000.
TRIAL-TIME: 6-day trial

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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:18:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

criticized superiors on matter of public concern (none / 0) (#12)

Anyone care to make a telephone call to Professor Boise, the Plaintiff's expert, to find out the background to the matter of public concern in this case?

by Welshman on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:24:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

: I'm still spinning on the Kirk > Dirk thing (none / 0) (#15)

How is it that some people call him Kirk and some call him Dirk?
I'll check the news on Nexis from 89-91 for details... I've been looking for any news stories on the 2001 judgment by the Idaho State Department of Health and Welfare, and I see nothing on that case.
I did discover that in 2001 Idaho passed a law, signed by Kirk/Dirk, to prevent public money from being used to provide abortions for low-income state residents. Planned Parenthood sued (of all departments) the Dept. of Health and Welfare to block them from enforcing the law and won.
Also in 2001, Kirk/Dirk slashed the budget for the Dept. of Health and Welfare.
I'll go look on the 1991 ruling now.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:44:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]
: Nothing on Nexis regarding the trial (none / 0) (#16)

I searched on Kempthorne's name and on the plaintiff's name (Patrick Dunn). Found no news reports on the trial, nor on the filing of a lawsuit.
If someone else can please try to duplicate my results to make sure I didn't miss something I'd appreciate it.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:51:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I can't find mention of this lawsuit on Google?! (none / 0) (#17)

Need some more eyes here, please.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:57:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Could easily (none / 0) (#18)

be a typo. The same "D" is the same position and same finger on the keyboard as "K" but on the left instead of the right.

by standingup on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 09:56:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

: then there's a lot of people screwing up (none / 0) (#19)

CNN, the state of Idaho, on and on... check this Google search. It's not just an isolated misspelling.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 11:32:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Other defendants (none / 0) (#24)

Likely this (and the others, as well) did not involve Kempthorne directly (you're off the hook for now, Dirk/Kirk):

    1.    CENARRUSA,PETE T, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    2.    ESTILL,ALAN S, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 06/08/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    3.    HOWARD,MARILYN, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    4.    ID DEPT OF LANDS, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    5.    KEMPTHORNE,DIRK, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    6.    LANCE,ALAN G, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    7.    SHOSHONE CTY A POLI SUBDIV ID ST, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    8.    STAE BD OF COMM, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    9.    WILLIAMS,J D, CV0036140, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 06/06/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS

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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 03:16:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Other defendants (none / 0) (#25)

Again, it is likely Kempthorne was not directly involved in this case but was listed in his official capacity:

    1.    CALVIN,GEORGE R, CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    2.    CALVIN,GEORGE R, CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT RELEASE, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    3.    CENARRUSA,PETE T, CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    4.    HOWARD,MARILYN, CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    5.    KEMPTHORNE,DIRK (aka), CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    6.    LANCE,ALAN S, CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    7.    SCHUSTER,ROBERT, CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS
    8.    STATE BD OF LAND COMM ERS, CV0132986, CIVIL JUDGMENT, 09/11/2001, ID JUDGMENTS AND LIENS

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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 03:17:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wow! Court Judgements Against Him? (none / 0) (#10)

Here we go again.

Onto the case, EPluribus Media Researchers, before the appointment hearing. It's what you do best.

by Welshman on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:18:49 AM EST

Patricia Kempthorne: Twiga Foundation (none / 0) (#13)

The first lady of Idaho is the Executive Director of something called the Twiga Foundation: the web site is here, last updated on 1/5/2006, and not functioning.

It is somehow connected to an Georgetown University Law Center/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation initiative called Workplace Flexibility 2010, where Mrs. Kempthorne is listed as a "Policy Consultant":

Patricia J. Kempthorne is the First Lady of Idaho and the Founder and Executive Director of Twiga Foundation, Inc. in Boise, Idaho.
Kempthorne co-founded the Family & Workplace Consortium in 1988, beginning her work in the area of work-life. In 2000, she joined Business Psychology Associates, in Boise, as the Director of Work-Life Initiatives. After partnering with her colleagues at BPA on work-life initiatives, Kempthorne founded the Twiga Foundation, Inc. In that role, she strives to promote a family consciousness in her community, work and home by engaging others across the country in a dialogue centered on workplace effectiveness and flexibility. More information on the Twiga Foundation can be found at www.twigafoundation.org.
As First Lady of Idaho, Kempthorne is engaged in a range of efforts concerning children, families and communities. She is the co-chair of Governor Kempthorne's Coordinating Council for Families and Children, serves on the leadership committee of Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, and is co-chair of the President's Advisory Commission on Drug-Free
Communities at ONDCP.
Kempthorne has a degree in business management from the University of Idaho.

There's a certain irony in Mrs. Kempthorne's role "in a range of efforts concerning children, families and communities" and Dirk/Kirk's $1,250 debt to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, isn't there?
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 08:33:10 AM EST

Bounces checks, too (none / 0) (#20)

From the Idaho Statesman. Reference provided by Red State Rebel on Kos.

by Land of Enchantment on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 01:51:29 PM EST

Forgot to include the quote. Sorry. (none / 0) (#21)

I first learned of Kempthorne's woes last month, when I heard he'd bounced a $76 check at his hairdresser's. The rumor checked out, but I decided one mistake wasn't news. But last week, I heard his stylist, Chic Rementeria, got more rubber from the governor, this time a $35 check.

by Land of Enchantment on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 01:53:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Contacting the author of that article. (none / 0) (#22)

I just sent an email out to the author of that check-bouncing article, hoping to get some leads on the information I dug up this morning.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 02:17:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

: Implementing some advice (none / 0) (#23)

I'm going to qualify my posts, on the advice of Dan Popkey, that the judgments I found this morning may have been against Kempthorne in his official capacity as governor (and, hence, may not amount to a hill of beans). I appreciate his advice and help checking into these cases.
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by wanderindiana on Fri Mar 17, 2006 at 02:50:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

ah but WI, maybe you should consider (none / 0) (#27)

re-requalifying your addressing of the topic. did a quick search of the HD for kempthorne, he ties into one of my favorite contargets who helped him become gov.

165 hits/197,000 docs/1.8 million keywords

can you guess which con that is? begins with ATT...

by luaptifer on Sat Mar 18, 2006 at 02:58:26 PM EST

Idaho Gov. Kempthorne named to Interior | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 hidden)

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