Protect the Public’s Trust, a federal watchdog organization, replied to recent inquiries from members of the Committee on Natural Resources, along with the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, regarding the Department of the Interior's ability to provide answers to the motive behind land policy deals conducted by Nada Culver, the deputy director of policy and programs.
In October 2020, while Culver was Vice President of Public Lands and Senior Policy Counsel at the National Audubon Society, the society petitioned Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to take specific actions regarding a series of Public Land Orders (PLOs) covering 28 million acres in Alaska.
The department went in a different direction and finalized the PLOs in January 2021.
After joining the Department of the Interior in February, Culver took the actions recommended by her former employer, a move that could constitute a violation of ethics laws and compromise President Joe Biden’s stance on the matter.
Director of Protect the Public’s Trust Michael Chamberlain said that he was notified of a high ranking official who “may be acting inconsistently with her ethics obligations and improperly participating in an ongoing particular matter.”
Though the petition in 2020 was signed by Audubon Alaska, there is no legal distinction between Alaska Audubon and the National Audubon Society.
Audubon Alaska has not filed an independent Form 990, an annual form nonprofits are required to file with the IRS. Its website is a subdomain of the National Audubon Society site and clicking on the donate button of the Audubon Alaska page directs potential donors to the donation page of the National Audubon Society.
Chamberlain said Culver’s actions were questionable and that people are entitled to understand her motives.
“Ms. Culver’s participation in a matter in which her former employer was involved raises serious questions,” he said. “The American public deserves to be assured political appointees are carrying out their duties in an ethical, impartial manner without favoritism to previous employers or these large special interest groups."
It would be difficult for the public to grasp why Culver may have provided her former employer any favors, given the contrast on ethics that Biden has in place, he added.
