Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3822 Oct 11-25 | Page 28

26 Oct 11 - 25, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 22 Ties Exposed Between Westlands and Aurelia Skipwith, USFWS Director Nominee he President’s nominee for Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) not only has worked for agro- chemical giant Monsanto, but for a firm lobbying for the powerful Westlands Water District. On July 17, President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Aurelia Skipwith to be the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, a former Westlands Water District and oil industry lobbyist that is pushing a water plan that will devastate Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations, applauded the nomination. “Aurelia is a leader within the department who has helped us execute our initiatives as outlined by President Trump,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “I look forward to her prompt confirmation, so she can continue her service to the American people.” The Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA) is definitely not looking forward to her “prompt confirmation,” after finding that Skipwith has failed to disclose lobbying ties between her former firm, Gage Interna- tional, and the powerful Westlands Water District. Skipwith currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior. Previously, she served as Assistant Corporate Counsel at Alltech, Inc. Skipwith earned her B.S. in biology from Howard University, M.S. in molecular biology from Purdue University, and J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Skipwith is the first African American to ever be nominated to the position. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the nomination on September 24. At the head of USFWS, Ms. Skipwith would oversee the development and imple- mentation of the controversial Endangered Species Act (ESA) biological opinion for the Central Valley Project that has come under scrutiny for blatant political interfer- ence, including suppressing staff recommen- dations and reassigning dozens of biologists, GGSA noted. Ms. Skipwith’s resume lists Gage Inter- national as a former employer and her testimony before the committee describes Leo Giacometto, with Gage Intl, as her fiancée. While Skipwith is not required to disclose any information about Giacomet- to’s work because the couple is not yet married, her clear connections raise questions. Public records indicate that from 2004-2010, Gage Intl and Mr. Giacometto received over a half million dollars from Westlands and a closely related group, the San Luis and Delta Mendota Water Authority. Ranking Member Senator Thomas Carper asked Ms. Skipwith in an August 29 letter to disclose former clients of Gage International who “may have interests before the U.S. government.” Ms. Skipwith’s response of September 10 fails to disclose Gage Intl’s longstanding lobbying on behalf of the Westlands Water Distirct and the San Luis and Delta Mendota Water Authority. “In addition, the Department of the Interior has only posted a month and a half of Ms. Skipwith’s calendar,” said GGSA. “Yet even this limited information reveals many meetings regarding issues that the Westlands Water District has a great deal of interest in, including reducing ESA regulation and the Fish and Wildlife Service’s approval of Governor Brown’s twin tunnels (also known as WaterFix), and a restoration requirement in the current FWS biological opinion for the Central Valley Project.” Those meetings included Paul Souza of the USFWS, who reassigned 20-30 NMFS employees who had worked on the CVP biological opinion. “At the moment, it is not possible to know what an examination of Ms. Skipwith’s full calendar would reveal,” according to the group. John McManus, president of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, blasted Skipwith’s nomi- nation by Trump as a sign that “an aggressive attack on the California fishing industry” is “accelerating.” ”The federal administration is leading an aggressive attack on the California salmon fishing industry and on salmon fishing jobs on behalf of the Westlands Water District,” said McManus. “Aurelia Skipwith’s nomination is a clear sign that this attack is accelerating. Westlands already has succeeded in having David Bernhardt, their former lobbyist, appointed to be the Secretary of the Interior. “Now the Senate is considering the appoint- ment of a former employee of a Westlands Water District lobbying firm as the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ms. Skipwith’s undisclosed ties to Westlands raise serious questions about her impartiality and her calendar clearly shows that she is deeply involved in issues in which Westlands has a deep interest. 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ALL PELLETS AND SUPPLIES By Dan Bacher salmon. org) is any Senator to reconsider their support for a coalition of salmon advocates that her if they value America’s wildlife.” includes commercial and recreational Aurelia Skipwith began her career salmon fisherman, businesses, restau- working for multinational corporation rants, a native tribe, environmentalists, Monsanto, where she worked her way up elected officials, families and communi- from a lab technician to “sustainable agri- ties that rely on salmon. culture partnership manager.” The Western Values Project and “When Skipwith left Monsanto, she environmental groups are also strongly briefly worked as a research and legal opposing the nomination. intern at the United States Department of “Aurelia Skipwith’s deep ties to the swamp and special interests were enough Agriculture, and next worked as an intel- lectual property consultant for USAID,” for former mega-lobbyist turned-Inte- according to a statement from the Western rior Secretary Bernhardt to consider her Values Project. “From August 2015 to qualified to head up Fish and Wildlife August 2016, Skipwith worked for Alltech, Services, despite her strikingly scant a ‘global animal nutrition provider’ resume,” said Jayson O’Neill, Deputy that also runs one of the largest algae Director of Western Values Project. production systems in the world. In April “Skipwith’s deep ties to a host of special 2016, Skipwith co-founded “agricultural interests make her another conflicted consulting firm AVC Global,” where she swamp-monster feeding into Trump’s worked as General Counsel.” culture of corruption.” On September 10, twenty-seven former Bernhardt became a lobbyist for Fish and Wildlife Service employees united Westlands shortly after their contract in opposition to the nomination of Skipwith with Gage Intl. expired. as the agency’s next director, critiquing her As if her ties to Westlands weren’t background and experience. bad enough, Skipwith was a former O’Neill noted that her nomination was employee of agrochemical corpora- celebrated by both scandal-ridden Interior tion Monsanto. Skipwith faced a lot of questions from the Senate Committee on Secretary Ryan Zinke, who resigned in disgrace in late-2018, as well as current Energy and Public Works on Tuesday, conflict-ridden Interior Secretary David September 11. Bernhardt. Her original nomination died at “At the hearing, many important the end of the previous Congress, but she questions were raised surrounding Skip- with’s resume, which astonishingly lacks was renominated for the same position on July 17, 2019. fish and wildlife experience, outside of the Trump orbit yet includes past work at agro- chemical giant Monsanto,” said *Trolling Jayson O’Neill, Motors Deputy Director *Fishfinders of the Western Values Project. *GPS “Skipwith’s *VHF history of working Radios with special *Radar interests, her close *Batteries ties with the oil and and gas industry Chargers and the fact that she donated to ONE DAY SERVICE Largest Service Trump’s reelection on Installations with appointment Center campaign just days in the West! after her nomina- tion should cause Marine Electronics Sales • Service • Installation Sunny’s Electric Marine 3705 T (916) 487-3868 The KFBK OUTDOOR SHOW 3819 1 Rated Outdoor Radio Show for 26 years! # with your host Bob Simms Fishing • Hunting • Destinations Conservation • History Dedicated to the Northern California Outdoorsman BOB SIMMS Listen Every Saturday Morning from 5 am to 8am CALIFORNIA’S LONGEST RUNNING OUTDOOR TALK SHOW!