Thursday, July 16, 2009

Ron Curry and Obama

New Mexico Environment Secretary Ron Curry should be appointed by President Obama to the post of Region 6 Director of the Environmental Protection Agency. He should be appointed on the basis of his courageous service in his current post. He has always put New Mexico's landscapes, water supplies and air sheds first. Of course that is what he is supposed to do.

There is another reason he should be appointed.

A Texan has always lead EPA Region 6. This has usually meant that the Texas Senator from the same political party as the President gets to pick who runs the region from Dallas. An exception was the last EPA Regional Administrator, former Arlington, Texas Mayor Richard Greene who was handpicked by Karl Rove.

Picking a New Mexican for this important post would mark a positive turn from the past, bring new, more progressive thinking to the Dallas Regional Headquarters, and truly be “Change We Can Believe In.”

It’s also good politics. Pop quiz: EPA Region 6 consists of the states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Which one of these is not like the others? Answer: Obama won New Mexico by 15 points. He lost the four other states in the region by an average of 18 points. This makes New Mexico the friendliest political foothold for the President in the fast growing southwest region.

Ron has the support of Senator Bingaman who said in a letter to Obama, "Ron has the ability to find common ground between parties when that is possible, and the backbone to be tough when it is not." That is a pretty good recommendation.

2 comments:

Rodney said...

"He has always put New Mexico's landscapes, water supplies and air sheds first."

Except when the DOEs Mixed Waste Landfill immediately adjacent to Mesa del Sol is involved.

BarryE said...

21 September 2012: EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has just announced that Mr. Curry has been appointed Administrator of EPA Region 6.