Good news for the environment: Harrison Schmitt has withdrawn his nomination for secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department!

Thank you to all those who sent letters, faxes, and called in to protest the nomination– and please, keep up the good work. That’s just the kind of pressure we’ll need to sustain through this legislative session to protect our state’s air, water and public land!

Astronaut withdraws nomination for Martinez cabinet job

Alamogordo Daily News

By Milan Simonich, Santa Fe Bureau

Posted: 02/10/2011 06:29:18 PM MST

SANTA FE - Former astronaut Harrison Schmitt on Thursday night withdrew his nomination for a cabinet position under Gov. Susana Martinez.

Schmitt, 75, refused to undergo a mandatory background investigation, and state senators said they would not confirm him on that basis.

Martinez said his refusal left her no option but to withdraw his nomination for the $105,000-a-year job as secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

Schmitt did not respond to requests for comment. He has a Ph.D. In geology from Harvard, walked on the moon in 1972 as part of the Apollo 17 mission, and was a one-term U.S. Senator from New Mexico.