CONTACT: MATTHEW DEMPSEY 202-224-9797 matthew_dempsey@epw.senate.gov

WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today applauded President Bush’s choice of current Idaho Governor and former U.S. Senator Dirk Kempthorne to succeed Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior. 

“I’ve known Dirk Kempthorne for many years and he will keep a steady hand at the helm of the Department of the Interior,” Senator Inhofe said. “The EPW Committee oversees many of the programs under the Department. As a current governor, and former senator and member of our committee, Governor Kempthorne’s knowledge and experience will serve him and the nation well. I look forward to working with him again and welcome him back to the nation’s capital.”