DNR to see big changes with Doyle
10:33
PM 12/03/02
Ron Seely Environment reporter
Governor-elect Jim Doyle said Tuesday he will appoint a secretary to run the
state Department of Natural Resources but added that, if he gets his way, it
will be the last time a governor selects someone for the job.
Instead, Doyle said, he will fulfil his campaign promise and remove the
position from his cabinet. If he can get the Republican-run state Legislature to
agree, Doyle said, he will make it so the Natural Resources Board appoints the
secretary. That's the way it worked until former GOP Gov. Tommy Thompson made
the post a cabinet position in the mid-1990s, a move that critics said
politicized the agency.
"My preference is that the secretary be appointed by the board," said Doyle,
a Democrat. "It adds a layer of insulation between politics and resource
decisions. That's a good thing."
Doyle commented on the secretary's job during an interview with the Wisconsin
State Journal on Tuesday. In addition to potential changes at the DNR, Doyle
discussed his plans for handling several important environmental issues facing
the state, including re-opening negotiations for the state to buy the site of
the proposed hard-rock mine near Crandon.
Doyle refused to comment on the fate of current DNR Secretary Darrell
Bazzell. Bazzell has proved very popular with staffers within the giant agency.
He also has received good marks from the state's environmental organizations as
well as outdoor sporting groups, especially for his handling of chronic wasting
disease in the state's deer herd.
All Doyle would say is that he intends to appoint new secretaries to most
agencies.
"My strong inclination and intent is to bring new cabinet secretaries in,"
Doyle said. "That's what happens when new governors come in. That's not to say
I've made up my mind."
Although Doyle did not name specific candidates, he said he would hope to
find a secretary in the mold of the late C.D. "Buzz" Besadny, who headed the
agency from 1980 to 1993. Besadny, Doyle said, displayed a total devotion to the
state's natural resources, had a deep appreciation for the importance of hunting
and fishing in Wisconsin and was tough but even-handed when enforcing
environmental regulations.
The changes at the DNR could be extensive. In addition to possibly appointing
a new secretary, Doyle will have the opportunity in the next several months to
substantially alter the makeup of the seven-member Natural Resources Board,
which sets policy for the DNR. At least three of the board members have yet to
be confirmed, and the terms of two other members will expire in the spring.
Doyle said he would like to name people with diverse backgrounds to the
board. Members, he said, should represent not only the outdoor sporting and
environmental communities but also business, academics and agriculture.
In addition to these changes, Doyle said he intends to pursue a couple of
other environmental initiatives he hammered on during his campaign. He said he
will propose to the state Legislature that the Public Intervenor's office be
restored. The office, eliminated by Thompson, represented Wisconsin residents on
environmental issues.
Also, Doyle said, he will re-open negotiations to buy the land on which
Nicolet Minerals wants to build a zinc and copper mine near Crandon in
northeastern Wisconsin. He said he would like to have an appraisal of the
property soon. Purchase of the land would effectively end the decades-long
controversy over the mine.
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