There are folks in this community who will no doubt be pleased to see Harris Sherman leave his post as head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, even if he may be assuming a new job that could be just as critical for Colorado.
Sherman, as the top natural resources person in Gov. Bill Ritter's Cabinet, was a driving force behind the development of new oil and gas regulations that many people hereabouts blame for the sharp decline in gas drilling in this region over the past year.
Those regulations undoubtedly added to the cost of drilling for natural gas in this state. But other factors - a national oversupply of gas and an international recession - had far more to do with the nose dive in regional drilling activity.
Also, a number of environmentalists say Sherman compromised too much with gas firms over wildlife protections in the rules.
It is likely to be environmentalists and sportsmen's groups that raise the greatest ruckus during Sherman's confirmation hearings for his new job - undersecretary for natural resources and the environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In that post Sherman will oversee the U.S. Forest Service, and some conservation groups are worried because of another effort Sherman's Colorado department was behind - pushing for implementation of a Colorado rule to protect the state's 4 million acres of national forest roadless areas.
Some groups believe the Colorado rule is too weak. They want the Forest Service to reject it in favor of a national rule such as Bill Clinton implemented in 2001.
But conflicting court decisions have made the future of the Clinton rule uncertain. That's one reason Sherman and Ritter have pushed hard for adoption of the Colorado rule, which was adopted by state officials following a lengthy public-input process.
We agree with Sherman and Ritter and have long supported the Colorado rule. But we recognize that, in his federal role, Sherman will have to take a broader view, not just look at the Colorado picture. Still, we hope he will be able to convince his new bosses in the Obama administration of the merits of the Colorado rule.
Sherman has for decades taken a thoughtful, moderate approach to natural resource management in this state. He is an excellent choice for the Department of Agriculture job.
Also, when paired with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar - another Coloradan who is no radical environmentalist - it means nearly all of the federal public lands in this nation will be under the stewardship of two men with deep ties to Colorado and a solid understanding of the many uses of those lands.
That will be good for this state and this country. We urge the Senate to quickly confirm Sherman's nomination.
