Green Crude?

President Obama has nominated REI CEO Sally Jewell to lead the Interior Department.  Jewell is a UW Husky hailing from the Pacific Northwest and a lifelong fan of the outdoors, name-dropping local spots like Rattlesnake Ledge and Mailbox Peak.  She also spent years working as a Mobil Oil executive and petroleum engineer evaluating oil company collateral for the banking industry.

Few thoughts.  First, it’s great to see Obama nominating someone who grew up in Seattle and seems to have a genuine love of the outdoors.  Mrs. Jewell used to sail an 8-foot dinghy across the Puget Sound with her family and went camping a bunch when she was growing up.  She’s also a product of Renton High, giving the city a rare victory on the national (or, let’s be honest, anything above local) stage.

Second, does every person who ever achieves power have to fucking sell out!?  Why did this alleged lover of nature work for Exxon Mobil and then help big oil companies obtain millions in bank loans?  People that really love nature would never sacrifice these beliefs by working for outfits that clearly damage the environment.  Perhaps compromising one’s beliefs is a necessary condition for power, but I’ll take righteousness over rationalization any day.

Finally, Obama’s pick again illustrates the ascendancy of private-sector fetishization and the corporatization of government.  The New York Times notes that Mrs. Jewell’s selection represents a break from the tradition of nominating those with public service experience.  Even George W. Bush named former AG Gale Norton and former governor Dirk Kempthorne (who?) to head the Interior Ministry.  Although Mrs. Jewell has plenty of leadership experience, her sole focus has been earning private profit.  Does that really equip someone to handle the task of overseeing some of the greatest public environmental resources on the planet?