Editing Bruce Babbitt (section)

===Secretary of the Interior 1993–2001===
[[File:Bruce babbitt.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Babbitt as Secretary of the Interior, 1993]]

After leading the [[League of Conservation Voters]], Babbitt served for eight years, 1993–2001, as the [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]] during the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton]].  According to John D. Leshy:
:His most remembered legacies will likely be his advocacy of environmental restoration, his efforts to safeguard and build support for the ESA (the [[Endangered Species Act of 1973]]) and the biodiversity that it helps protect, and the public land conservation measures that flowered on his watch.<ref>John D. Leshy,  "The Babbitt Legacy at the Department of the Interior: A Preliminary View." ''Environmental Law'' 31 (2001): 199–227 [227]</ref>

Babbitt worked to protect scenic and historic areas of America's federal public lands. In 2000 Babbitt created the [[National Landscape Conservation System]], a collection of 15 [[U.S. National Monument]]s and 14 [[National Conservation Area]]s to be managed by the [[Bureau of Land Management]] in such a way as to keep them "healthy, open, and wild."

A major issue involved low fees charged ranchers who grazed cattle on public lands. The "animal unit month" (AUM) fee was only $1.35 and was far below the 1983 market value. The argument was that the federal government in effect was subsidizing ranchers, with a few major corporations controlling millions of acres of grazing land.  Babbitt tried to rally environmentalists and raise fees, but senators from Western states successfully blocked his proposals.<ref>Richard Lowitt, “Oklahoma's Mike Synar Confronts the Western Grazing Question, 1987–2000,” ''Nevada Historical Society Quarterly'' (2004) 47#2 pp 77–111</ref><ref>Julie Andersen Hill, "Public Lands Council v. Babbitt: Herding Ranchers Off Public Land." ''BYU Law Review'' (2000): 1273+ [https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2006&context=lawreview online].</ref>

In 1993, Babbitt was seriously considered by President Clinton to replace retiring [[United States Supreme Court]] Justice [[Byron White]]. Due to his lead on environmental issues, however, Clinton nominated [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]] instead. Clinton again considered Babbitt for the high court in 1994 when [[Harry Blackmun]] announced his retirement. Babbitt was passed over again, this time in favor of [[Stephen Breyer]], due to Breyer's immense support in the U.S. Senate, primarily because he was close to Sen. [[Ted Kennedy]].<ref>Tinsley E. Yarbrough, "Clinton and the courts." in ''The Clinton Presidency'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 1999) pp. 43–59.</ref>

In 1998 Babbitt was the subject of a federal grand jury investigation into whether he had lied to Congress about having denied an Indian casino license in Wisconsin in return for political donations. The controversy has been called [[Wampumgate]]. Babbitt was cleared of wrongdoing in the special prosecutor's final report on the investigation the following year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/babbitt101499.htm|title=Babbitt Cleared in Casino Probe|last=Miller|first=Bill|author2=Vise, David A.|date=1999-10-14|newspaper=The Washington Post|pages=A1|access-date=2009-01-23}}</ref>