One of the featured thought leaders of the Ground Shift initiative is Lynn Scarlett, who vaulted to prominence as the president of the Reason Foundation. This is a libertarian think tank, closely affiliated with the Heritage Foundation and funded by such anti-environmental actors as the Farm Bureau, the Koch Brothers, numerous big oil corporations, and best known for publishing Reason Magazine. During her time at the Foundation, she authored an article praising Gayle Norton as Secretary of Interior, and promoted replacing environmental regulations with market-based incentives.
In 2001, she was appointed by George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy, Management and Budget. In November 2005, she was promoted to Deputy Interior Secretary in G.W. Bush’s administration, positioning her to oversee the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2018, the Audubon Society gave Scarlett their Conservation Hero award, stating, “In government, Scarlett was a leader in tackling climate change, which is the greatest threat that birds face.” While there is good documentation that Scarlett is an avid birder, her climate credentials leave something to be desired.
