Grijalva for Secretary of Interior? Let’s hope so!

Crossposted at Green Mountain Daily.

As president-elect Barack Obama is introducing new members of his cabinet, bloggers are wondering if they’ll see anyone progressive enough to like. I heard Mary Beth Maxwell is being considered for Secretary of Labor. She’s a union activist and former field director for Jobs With Justice. If chosen, Maxwell will also be the first openly-gay cabinet member. I sincerely hope she gets it.

But now, many environmentalists are giddy over the fact that another progressive is being considered for Secretary of Interior. Roberto Lovato writes today, for Alternet and Huffington Post, that Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) is under consideration for Secretary of Interior. If chosen, environmentalists and environmental organizations have reason to celebrate.

Lovato writes “of all the candidates being vetted by the Obama transition team for this complex and challenging responsibility, none can match the unique qualifications of Raul Grijalva.” Let’s take a look:

Read below the fold.

* Grijalva is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

* He led the way in denouncing this week’s most recent giveaway to mining companies by the Bush Administration.

* He spearheaded efforts to stop the planned re-mining of the Black Mesa, located in northern Arizona.

* He is a leading political supporter of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, an ambitious and highly regarded county program for planned land-use and biodiversity conservation.

* He leads the way on Native/Indigenous Amerocan issues and a strong supporter of sovereignty and government-to-government relationship.

* He serves on the Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities; the Committee on Natural Resources and chairs the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands; the Committee on Small Business and the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, co-Chair of the Congressional National Landscape Conservation System, and 1st Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

* Check out his report on “The Bush Administration’s Assault on Protections of Public Lands.

* He supported H. Res 635 calling for the censure of George W. Bush.

There’s more, but those are the highlights. California Blue-Dog Dem Mike Thompson is also being considered, but Grijalva brings some much needed balance to Obama’s cabinet. To read Lovato’s article click here.

Let’s hope this happens folks.