James G. Watt, Interior Secretary Under Reagan, Dies at 85
The New York Times Mr. Watt once declared that Interior Department policies over years had swung too far toward conservation under the influence of environmental extremists.
James G. Watt, who as President Ronald Reagans first Interior secretary tilted environmental policies sharply toward commercial exploitation, touching off a national debate over the development or preservation of Americas public lands and resources, died on May 27 in Arizona. He was 85.
His son, Eric Watt, confirmed his death in a text message but declined to cite a cause.
After taking office in 1981, Mr. Watt was asked at a hearing of the House Interior Committee if he favored preserving wilderness areas for future generations. He had been picked by Reagan from a Denver legal foundation that had often challenged the rules and policies of the department he now headed. Critics called him a fox in the hen house.
Mr. Watts response startled some committee members, but seemed to explain his intention to ease restrictions on the use of millions of acres of public lands. I do not know how many future generations we can count on before the Lord returns, he said.
