Outdoor retail exec picked to lead Interior

President Barack Obama today nominated outdoor business executive Sally Jewell to lead the Interior Department. Obama says Jewell, president and chief executive at REI, has earned national recognition for her support of outdoor recreation and habitat conservation. He also notes her experience as an engineer in oil fields and her record of achievement and environmental stewardship at REI, which sells clothing and gear for outdoor use. “She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress—that, in fact, those two things need to go hand and hand,” Obama says. Jewell, 56, is the first woman Obama has nominated for his Cabinet in his second term, and would replace current Interior Secretary Ken Salazar if confirmed by the Senate. Salazar held the post throughout Obama’s first term. He announced last month that he would step down in March. LOGA President Don Briggs issued a statement in reaction to Jewell’s appointment saying the oil and gas association had hoped Obama would have selected someone with “a deep background in the energy sector.” Briggs says if Jewell is confirmed, “the oil and gas industry must engage with her over expanding offshore drilling and opening more public land for exploration.”