More New Names

MORE NEW NAMES

When the new administration moved into the White House all the news was about the President and a few of the top appointments. Certainly there has been enough furor raised about Al Haig and James Watt. But some of the assistant positions and regulatory department heads may end up being more important to motorcyclists because of the people named.

For instance, Ted Garrish has been appointed as legislative counsel for the Interior Department. Garrish has been a partner in a Washington D.C. law firm and he specialized in land use issues. More importantly, he was counsel for the National Outdoor Coalition, a group of recreation enthusiasts that has been influential in battling land closures around the country. During the last administration’s efforts to close many areas of federal land Garrish was very active in the fight against RARE II abuses.

Another example of this is the nomination of Ann Gorsuch to head the Environmental Protection Agency. As a Colorado legislator Gorsuch worked closely with the American Motorcyclist Association to keep public funds from being used to promote a mandatory helmet law in Colorado. As soon as she was nominated a spokesman for Friends of the Earth called her a “carpetbagger from the West.” Not a bad qualification.