March 10, 2006 09:00 AM UTC

Gale Norton to Retire

by: Colorado Pols

Controversial Interior Secretary Gale Norton is expected to announce her retirement today. The Rocky Mountain News has the late-breaking story:

Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the former Colorado attorney general and one of President Bush’s original cabinet members, is expected to announce her retirement today, ending a five-year run that included frequent clashes with environmentalists and Native American tribes.

Norton, the first woman ever to serve in the job, was expected to make the announcement this afternoon, according to a source who requested anonymity.

From the start, Norton was considered one of Bush’s most loyal foot-soldiers, using the position overseeing vast tracts of federal land and tribal areas to streamline and increase energy exploration.

For that, she faced fierce opposition from environmentalists, and in the early days of the Bush Administration it looked as if she would be one of the most divisive figures in the cabinet.

During her confirmation fight in early 2001, critics tried to label her as “James Watt in a skirt” — referring to the controversial Reagan Administration Interior Secretary who once worked with Norton at the Mountain States Legal Foundation.

Gale Norton to Retire

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