Kempthorne must prove he's a good choice

On the surface, the appointment of Idaho governor Dirk Kempthorne as the nation's new interior secretary is good news for Nevada.

It means the secretary will be a man who understands the issues of Western states, which contain the vast majority of public lands. Decisions on management of those lands will come from the states, not the federal government. All interests, ranging from business to recreation, will be assured access.

Those are good things for Nevada.

But we hope Kempthorne has the courage to speak up when the policies of his boss aren't the best thing for Western states or the environment.

One of those policies is the open access that oil companies are now enjoying to public lands in the West. That policy is taking up most of the resources of public lands agencies, which are left with little to accomplish other missions, such as habitat enhancement.

Even hunters and anglers, longtime supporters of Republicans, are wary of those policies.

Will Western states see a windfall from that drilling? Will it bring down gas prices? No, but at least oil companies will be able to pad their record profits. Nevertheless, it's hard to imagine loyal Republicans speaking out against that policy.

Unfortunately, Bush's policies have succeeded in bringing shallow partisanship to the public lands debate ... you're either a bleeding heart environmentalist or you're an off-roader chasing wildlife across the landscape.

That's demeaning to real Westerners, who care deeply about the land and believe in common sense when it comes to its management.

We hope Kempthorne is among their number.