Parks Service official who ignored environmental rules picked for senior agency post
A former National Parks Service official who improperly helped the owner of the Washington Redskins cut down more than 130 trees near his Potomac, Md. estate in 2004 will assume the deputy director post at the agency.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that P. Daniel Smith has been chosen for the position. The decision was announced in an internal email at the agency.
We have a new political appointee,” Lori Mashburn, the Interior Department's White House liaison, wrote in the email. “Dan should be a familiar face at NPS. He most recently served as Superintendent of Colonial National Historical Park.”
Smith's appointment was first reported by National Parks Traveler.
Smith previously served as a special assistant to the director of the Park Service. While serving in that role, he pressured lower-level officials to approve a deal allowing Redskins owner Daniel Snyder cut down more than 130 trees between his house and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/367791-parks-service-official-who-ignored-environmental-laws-picked-for