After only 10 months as the northwest regional administrator for the EPA, Michael Bogert is stepping down to take a job as counselor to new Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne – his former boss when Kempthorne was governor of Idaho and Bogert was the governor’s legal counsel.

Bogert called his time in Seattle as the EPA regional chief “memorable.” He said in a statement, “Environmental challenges in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska are as diverse as its citizens, cultures, and landscapes. I believe the Bush Administration and EPA will continue to play an important role in addressing these challenges by lending its considerable expertise to collaborate with those who share its ethic of innovative problem-solving. I am exceedingly grateful to have had this opportunity to serve with EPA staff and other partners who are so committed to preserving and enhancing this special place.”

His move is part of a growing trend toward short-term jobs for top Republicans these days. Kempthorne, of course, has just 2-1/2 years to serve as interior secretary, as President Bush finishes his second term in office. Meanwhile, back in Idaho, Kempthorne’s successor as governor, Jim Risch, has just seven months in office to complete Kempthorne’s term, and that presumably goes for the staff he brings to the job as well.

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