Reagan Appoints James Watt as Interior Secretary - Oil Industry Capture
President Reagan appoints James Watt, former president of Mountain States Legal Foundation (funded by Coors and oil companies), as Interior Secretary. Watt immediately opens federal lands to mining and drilling, reverses environmental protections, and staffs the department with industry executives. His tenure represents systematic capture of natural resource regulation by extractive industries, implementing the Powell Memorandum’s strategy of placing corporate advocates in key regulatory positions.
Key Actors
Sources (5)
- Reagan Names James Watt Interior Secretary (1981-01-29)
- Watt Resigns His Interior Post (1981-01-29)
- James Watt, sharp-tongued interior secretary under Reagan, dies at 85 (2023-06-09)
- James Watt (1981–1983) | Presidential Biography (2023-06-09)
- James G. Watt - Background and Corporate Connections (2023-06-09)
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