BOISE, Idaho — Few people know more about Western land and water issues than Dirk Kempthorne. The former Idaho Governor, who also served as President George W. Bush's Secretary of the Interior, is very candid about his feelings toward the future of the West.
Kempthorne is no stranger to the debate of what man is or is not doing to the planet. "There has always been climate change since the Earth was created," said Kempthorne.
The seasoned politician who serves on the board of three publicly traded companies says before you start pointing fingers, remember this.
"Many, many corporations have now established a sustainability committee. What are we doing so we are as environmentally conscience as possible and good stewards of the land?"
Land in Idaho that the Federal government has a firm grip on.
"When I was U.S. Secretary of Interior, I had more jurisdiction on the state of Idaho than I did when I was Governor."
Something Kempthorne feels very strongly about is Western water resources. "The future of the globe depends on water," he says.
As Interior Secretary, he also held the title of Water Master of the Colorado River. Kempthorne and officials from seven Western states signed a sweeping agreement to conserve and share scarce Colorado River water, ending a divisive battle among all the parties involved.
"It was tough negotiations, and I had to be there. But we had a ceremony where all seven states came. That's what we need more of ... cooperation."
Closer to home, as Governor, he helped negotiate the Snake River Adjudication Plan to determine the water rights in the Snake River Basin Drainage.
When it comes to fire management, here's where Kempthorne says there's a big difference between state land and federal land. "When you have a forest fire every year in Idaho, we could, as a land board, conduct an emergency sale because all of that timber is still there. Timber that still had value, so we could and would move quickly to remove and sell it."
As a matter of fact, Governor Kempthorne had an idea for Washington. "Do a pilot project, give me a swath of Federal land that is Idaho, and let us be the gardeners. We'll prove to you we can be better," suggested Kempthorne.
That, of course, never happened. But his point was, that the Federal Government needs to move faster on the ground and in the courts.
"On Federal land, all the appeals that keep being placed prevent the federal government from doing the same thing."
Kempthorne believes that at the end of the day, we all can be good stewards of the land, but it's Mother Nature that has the final word.
