Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Another bail out: Interior official quits ahead of hearing

WASHINGTON - An Interior Department official accused of pressuring government scientists to make their research fit her policy goals has resigned.

Julie MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, submitted her resignation letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a department spokesman said Tuesday.

MacDonald resigned a week before a House congressional oversight committee was to hold a hearing on accusations that she violated the Endangered Species Act, censored science and mistreated staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


MacDonald was recently rebuked by the department's inspector general, who told Congress in a report last month that she broke federal rules and should face punishment for leaking information about endangered species to private groups. More on the story.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

and reduced by 80 percent the amount of streams to be protected to help bull trout recover in the Pacific Northwest.

looks like she did more harm than good to the enviroment with just one of many of these moves