president obama's health-care law. it became a state sovereignty issue. it challenged it on the grounds that it violated state laws so that the state/federal balance is playing out. >> as we head into this next week, the house returns after the spring recess. are they working behind the scenes on gun legislation? who is working on it? >> there has been a lot of bipartisan work. the senator of west virginia that few ran a campaigns has been working behind the scenes to come up with a deal. we expect the discussions will continue. whether or not they come to resolution will be seen. >> ginger gibson, david

sherfinski, thank you of oth. >> on monday president obama visits the university of hartford in connecticut to continue his push for more gun ontrol laws. legislation was passed adding 100 new firearms to the ban. we'll bring you the president's remarks live at 5:45 p.m. astern here on c-span.

>> where is the predict ability? what are the assurances that this committee and the senate has as to where you'll be given he background and the history?

next out going interior secretary ken salazar. his role as colorado attorney general during the columbine shootings and his future political plans this. is just over a half an hour. >> ken salazar is the outgoing interior secretary.

this was a job you initially wanted? >> i didn't look for it. i didn't seek it. but at the end of the day when the president and i sat down and talked we laid out agenda that we wanted to get done. that mission has been accomplished and it's been a joyful and wonderful ride and now i'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life. >> we are in one of the largest offices for cabinet secretary in the government. what is the job of the interior secretary? >> the secretary interior is the custodian of america's natural resources and natural and historic heritage. what we do here at interior is make sure that 20 to 30% of the land mass over which we have significant say is preserved for the american people and used for the american people. we work to make sure that the relationships between the

united states and nate tiff americans is a great priority for the united states. it's a great job. it's a great department because it covers everything from sea to shining sea and out into the 1.7 billion acres of the shelf which we control at interior. >> some have called this the department of everything else. >> some v. and if you think back to the history of the department, it's one of the older departments in the united states and it was created to handle all matters related to the interior of the united states which and over time some function versus been moved to other departments and other functions added to this department. but it is a department with a very broad mission. so the way i'd like to think about it is that we are the custodian of america's natural resources and that's all the energy. our national parks and also our history. because in the statute of

liberty to the historic monuments that we oversee around the country, that is all part of our mission at the department. >> every cabinet secretary has to make decisions and get pressure on different fronts. but in your role you are dealing with the conservation movement and the oil industry. two very different political forces in this town. >> that's true. and it happens whenever you are dealing with land use and natural resources issues. they are not easy issues. there is conflict, those who want to preserve and those who want to develop. we try to arrive at the right balance. so yes, we allow development of our energy resources. we've led the effort on renewable energy. we've doubled it over the last four years. we have 31 power plants of generation. but at the same time as we move forward with the development

efforts, we have been cognizant of our mission to protect the resources of this country. we don't believe you ought to have development everywhere. we don't believe you should be drilling for oil and gas in the vicinity of our parks. we try to find the right balance during my time here. >> how does president obama use this cabinet. how much direction to you get from the white house and how much autonomy do have you to make your own decisions? >> the president and i go back a long way. we ran for the senate together. i was 99 from illinois and i was 100 from colorado. we've been friends for a long time. i've had a relationship with him for a long time and it's been a positive and supportive one. it took a collaboration between us to carry out the mission of the department.

in this lack week for me has been a look back at the ways we've done here. and on the conservation agenda the land act which the president signed. it was the greatest conservation legislation in 30 years. last week his signature in the oval office of five proclamations to create five national monuments around the country. those are two oh examples of some of our conservation purposes which we have fulfilled but have done those under the president's direction and guidance, but obviously, with my input and suggestion. it's been a great relationship. >> how involved can he be on the decisions that have you to make? >> he knows what is going on in his government and has some great people at the white house. pete has been a wonderful

advocate for the department. whenever i need the help of the white house i will call pete or someone else at the white house. so it's been a good relationship i feel i've had the support i've needed through some wonderful times at interior as well as some tough times. we lived through the oil spill of 2010. we have completed and are still working on the most significant overhall on energy production in america's oceans. and we have had the great support of the president as we've embraced the all of the above energy strategy and have been implementing that. >> i want to ask you about the cabinet meetings themselves. cameras aren't allowed in there. what happens? what are they like for you personally? >> the cabinet meetings are formal and there is agenda that will be followed.

i find frankly my interactions with the president and his people to be much more productive when we are not in those cabinet meetings because we can have a full discussion of the issues and options. typically most of the work is done outside of the cabinet meetings. >> let's talk about some of the things you've dealt with, most notably the b.p. oil spill. >> you said you wanted to hold b.p.'s boot to the neck during that crisis. >> that's my boot on the neck of b.p. and i think we have done that. more importantly than the words i used we've held the oil and gas industry accountable. when i came into this department we embraced the agenda on a whole host of things because the department had been neglected in a number of ways in the prior administration. we started looking at m.m.s. and how we might be able to

reorganize that. we had hearings before the house. the mccon da well came along and we had to deal with that oil spill over a long period of time. but that has led to the fwreatest overhall in how the united states of america oversees the production of oil and gas. and it is part of the reform agenda and part of the all of the above energy strategy which the president has been pursuing really from day one when we came into office on january 20, 2009. >> let's go back to m.m.s. you divided that into three very different agencies. take a step back and explain what you did and why you did that. >> m.m.s. has h been around and exist through secretarial order. even today they exist through the power of the secretary of interior under existing law. those m.m.s. had been created

by james watt, secretary of interior back in 1981. the agency had not evolved to keep up with the changing technology and challenges as we were moving forward in deeper waters especially in the gulf of mexico. we've taken m.m.s. and blew it up and created three separate agencies to deconflict the missions. we is have an agency that does revenue collection. some $1 billion that come into the treasury. and then to oversee the planning and the regulation, we created the bureau of ocean energy management which does the planning for the future, looking at developing the resources out in the oceans. and then safety and enforcement. and that's essentially the cop. the cop on the beat hold it is oil companies accountable to make sure they are doing everything in a safe way and in

a way to protect the environment. >> you've been working on solar and renewable energy. >> sometimes i heeze my colleague that we are the real department of energy because we do produce about 30% of the energy in america really comes from the public lands of the united states. on renewable energy, for me, it's always been part of our energy future and energy security for the united states for a lot of good policy reasons. when we came into this department in 2009, there had been virtually nothing that had been done on renewable energy. from that time to today, our renewable energy efforts have actually produced permits that will allow 11,000 megawatts of power to be produced for solar and wind on public lands. that's the quive leapt of 33 regular sized power plants. that's a tremendous amount of

energy we've permitted over the last four years. that's one of my proudest accomplish mr.ments. it's one of the reasons we have doubled the amount of energy we are producing in the united states in the last fure years. there is more to come. print created the blue for the future. we control over 20% of the offshore land in the u.s. as well as in the atlantic. i image you will see a offshore wind industry in the atlantic. >> where do you see us on wind energy in the next 20 years? >> the united states will lead the world. we were not leading the world four years ago. we have gotten back into the saddle again and we are leading the world with a lot of what we

are doing in the clean energy world. the largest solar energy commercial scale facilities are springing up out of the deserts of nevada and california today. they will be producing electricity to the grid, some of them have already started. >> and yet this wind energy that you point out from off the coast of the atlantic requires mills. how do you deal with environmental concerns and's i can concerns and also the advance with wind energy? >> we said erp going to be smart from the start so we're going to plan where we're going to develop our energy in the united states which what we've done on the atlantic for example is we've mapped out the best places for wind energy areas. those have been mapped out in cooperation with all of the states along the atlantic and now we are already issuing

leases for wind energy farms off the atlantic. because the way the atlantic slopes off to the east, you can actually place these wind farms five or ten miles off the coast. you deal at as thet i can sues in that way and you can deconflict them from maritime needs of the ocean as well as defense needs. we've mapped it out for energy production. and i believe we're going to see a robust area in the united states developed in the decade ahead. >> etc. talk about alaska for a moment. this department has come under criticism from environmental groups and oil industry when it comes to drilling off the coast of alaska. can you drill safely and yet also aleave the concerns of environmental groups? >> the answer to that is yes. and let me give you an example on the on shore side in alaska,

there is a 22 million ack kerr land that is a wonderful ecological resource for the united states. we've taken about 11 million acres of that and that will be managed for conservation. we won't allow development in those 11 million acres. there is another 11 million we've said it will be okay to exemployer for oil and gas there. n terms of the arctic waters in the baltic seas which are the northern most points of alaska and the united states which our vipet is first we need to understand what the resources are that are out there and we need to develop additional seasons. we've ashroud for shell to move forward. we were watching them carefully and we made the determination they weren't ready to do that.

we stopped them. but into the future my belief is the united states needs to understand the resources that are there and second of all the decisions can be made as to whether or not development will occur and what kind of safeguards need to be in place for any development to occur. >> and as you know, native alaska ans worried about fishing and hunting which in some areas is their main source of sussty innocence. >> that is true. shell was very sensitive to those issues. they worked with the whaling captains from the villages on the north slope and agreed that they would not do any activity up there that would interfere with the whaling season. so the relationship with alaska natives was tested in the 2012 drilling season. >> down the street the state department dealing with

keystone. have you weighed in? is your department involved in that as well? >> we're involved if the that we are a commenting agency for example on the baring, beetle and other pipeline route. but it is a process under which is exclusively within the state department. we comment on it but it's a process secretary carrie is continuing to lead. >> you made the comment about the amount of energy we have in this country and the amount you produce. how much do we have? how much energy in this country and offshore do we have in the future potentially? >> we have a huge amount of energy and i think one of the most important things we've been able to do under president obama's direction and leadership is that the country is in a much better place for energy than it was when i came to u.s. senate. i gave a speech on the floor of

the u.s. senate in 2005 where i said at that time we were importing more than 60% of our oil. we were projected to import more than 70%. today i can report we are importing less than 40% of our oil from foreign countries. one of the reasons that is happening is because we have a much more efficient fuel efficient vehicle being created here in the united states. number two, we're producing energy from different sources including renewables. number three, natural gas has come online in ways people never imagined even five or six years ago. so we are on a good track to be able to get energy security in a way that escaped other presidents such as president carter and others who spoke about these issues, even president nixon back in 1973.

we're in a good place and we'll continue to march forward making progress on the energy side as well as the change side. because those two issues are connected. >> with all of these issues we've been caulk talking about, how does ken salazar make a decision? what's your process? >> i read a locality and learn a lot from other people. so i will is it around a table in this office with my staff, my deputy director and assistant director and my counselors and we'll walk through the options and make is decision that is are the very best decisions we can for the country. we've made sure seasons and biology guide our decisions. though there is tremendous political pressure exerted on the decisions i make. we say those are not to be factored into the decisions that we ultimately make. it's the science and the

biology that has guided us in making some very tough decisions over the last four years. scientist scientific integrity will be something that will continue. >> we commented on this office. this is bigger than the oval office. >> yes, the president has visited my office. we've had that conversation. it is a beautiful office and has a huge impact on the lives of the people of the united states of america and it future. so it's a great office. >> as your successor prepares to take over, what advice would you give her? >> enjoy the job. it's a joyful journey. it is a great privilege to serve the american people in a cabinet position, especially this cabinet position. this is the best cabinet position i would say of any of the cabinet position.

and at this time most joyful of them all. you get to see and make stigses from the north slope of the arctic with the native people there to the everglades of florida to california and everything in between and out into the ocean. so it's a wonderful world that you get to be a part of when you are secretary of interior. let me turn to a cuple of career issues which you served as secretary general in colorado. and your state has been hit hard by gun violence. how do you balance second mendment rights and try to reign in the violence in this country? >> you have to be common sense about it. i was attorney general when the columbine shootings happened. i did investigations and did

school safety acktiths in colorado at the. i was dealing with background checks as well as closing the gun show loophole and things like that in colorado. those are common sense measures. those are common sense measures which the president is now advocating. you can honor the second amendment making sure that hunters and sportsmen have their guns. nobody is planning on taking guns away from anybody or even registering guns. but we can have common sense measures that keep guns out of the hand of criminals. i think the nation as a whole understands that but there is powerful groups that muddy the waters of politics here in washington, d.c. i think we are going to see some common sense gun safety measure that is are passed. >> these shootings have been seen in all parts of the country but particularly in

colorado. any sense why? >> i don't know why in colorado but you never choose where these things happen. columbine happened in colorado. the aurora shootings this last year at the theater were also tragic. the recent killing of our department corrections executive director. those are senseless killings and i think for all of us they just create the question which is the appropriate question how do we do everything we can to prevent other people from being killed or injured by these senseless acts of violence. >> your family first moved to colorado when? >> about 150 years ago. they helped found northern new mexico, the city of sant faye. they didn't move very far. our ranch is about 120 miles north of the city of santa fe.

we've been there for a long time. deep roots. >> have you been quoted as saying you have felt over the years some eth nick slurs. can you elaborate on that? >> we've been a country that has been a nation in a march toward a more perfect union. this last week as i celebrated some of the monuments the president created. the under ground railroad in maryland. the rights of farm workers. all that is a story that we have all lived and i have lived part of that story. today i serve as secretary of interior. i've been u.s. senator and attorney general. but civil rights history and the pains we have gotten through has affected us all. we are in much better shape today in 2013 than we were in 1973, than we were when dr.

king gave his speech here 50 years ago on the importance of making sure we had quality here in america. so our progress is one that is steady. and i have so much confidence and optimism in our country. i have a lot of confidence and optimism in my state. people thought i would have never been elected attorney general or senator and i was able to do those things in my life because i have a nation that has learned from our past and created opportunity for others who are coming along. i hope that in some small way i've been able to contribute to that journey of our nation to make it a better nation and a more perfect nation and better humidity around the world. >> what would you tell a new generation of immigrants who may face prejudice or injustice? >> stand up against it.

understand there are more good people than there are people who would have racist or discriminatory attitudes. at the end of the day, we're all in this together. we're all part of god's creation is how i would say it in my own faith. and we have a much brighter future ahead. but it's important to look back and learn the lessons of our history as we're doing this year. as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the civil war. and create a better place for our children and grandchildren. >> both you and your brother served in congress. what's in the salazar family water? >> i would say it's our history but most importantly my father and my mother. my mother at the age of 19 found her way across this country to come help here in the cause of world war ii. helped open the pentagon at

the. she was here in washington for five years. my father came to washington and went into the army. he had to make sure when he died he would be buried in his uniform because he was so proud. very grew up on a poor and remote ranch. all 8 children graduated from college and it was a sense from my parents anything was possible as long as we believed in ourselves and believed in our country. it's those values which i think are not unique to my family. there are so many other families across america that share that -- those sense of values and this great confidence in our future. >> if they were here today, what would they think of their son serving as the interior secretary? >> they would be extremely proud.