Pombo deemed biggest anti-conservation goon in congress

[montana500]

www.wilderness-sportsman.com


"When it comes to environmental matters, one of the busiest
members of Congress this year has been Representative Richard
Pombo (R-CA), chair of the House Resources Committee.

Unfortunately, say environmentalists, Rep. Pombo's busy-ness has
all been aimed, once again, at undermining or actually
eviscerating long-established laws that protect America's
natural resources. As Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger
Schlickeisen put it last month in an interview with the Oakland
Tribune, Rep. Pombo is "the most anti-conservation congressman
of the 535 in Congress." <1>

And while Mr. Pombo's wide-ranging agenda achieved only partial
success this year (one key initiative fell apart in the face of
public outrage), he has made it clear that he will be right back
at it when Congress reconvenes in 2006."

[maxsolomon]

1. Pombo blocked the Wild Sky Wilderness in WA state

it was Sen. Patty Murray's baby, a small patch of mountains just north of US 2 northeast of Seattle. Developing some trails there would have taken pressure off the overused Alpine Lakes wilderness. but Pombo said no. a congressman rolled a senator.

my teenage daughter would call him a dowtch bag. pronounced that way, too. kids today...

[rmgustaf]

2. Just let him try

to pull anything in North Dakota or another state like it - taking away land hunters use is a surefire way to get a nasty word or two.

[maxsolomon]

4. he's pro-hunting

pro-development, pro-resource extraction. he's what we used to call a "wise-user"

[montana500]

6. With that land sell-off move, many consider him anti-hunting now

The hunters and fisherman played a huge role in stopping his nationall forest sell-off bill.

[depakid]

3. "Deemed" LOL

Mr. Mercury isn't poisonous?

The Dems should have targeted him a long time ago- he's such an easy target.

[starroute]

5. Maybe Abramoff will take him down

Pombo got donations directly from both Abramoff and Abramoff's associate, Kevin Ring. He's avoided having the House Resources Committee look into Abramoff's dealings despite requests that he do so. And an article from 2004 that no longer seems to be available online said of him:

CALIFORNIA REP. POMBO ATTRACTS RISKY INDIAN GAMING MONEY - Congressman Richard Pombo, longtime Congressional champion of agricultural interests in his state’s rural Central Valley country, and chairman of the House Resources Committee is raising so much money with his "Rich Political Action Committee: that some of his admiring supporters are worried. In an election year when his only opposition is a Democrat write-in candidate, Pombo’s PAC has been accepting significant contributions from some 31 Indian tribes, that together contributed some $76,000 according to the Political Money Line tracking service reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Other contributions to Pombo’s PAC came from gambling concerns and farm groups, all of which, like Indian tribes, have issues that are subject to his Committee’s jurisdiction. As of the end of May, the total taken in since his PAC was organized in June of last year, totaled $300,000.

The Associated Press reported in late June that "at least eight tribes and tribal lobbyists gave the maximum of $5,000 each, including Jack Abramoff, who resigned in March from the Miami-based Greenberg-Traurig law firm" after the Washington Post disclosed enormous fees he had collected from Indian clients. One California tribe, the Barona Band of San Diego’s Mission Indians, contributed $5,000 to Pombo’s PAC during the Primary campaign this year and $5,000 more toward the General Election.

I think there's an excellent chance that he's one of the names involved in that forthcoming Abramoff plea bargain.