Ex-official says he'll obey ethics code

Ex-official says he'll obey ethics code

	Published : Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:59 By : Agencies Print this Story

WASHINGTON (AP) - A former Interior Department official said Friday he will follow a department code of ethics as well as federal law when he begins work for a lobbying firm next week.

Mark Limbaugh resigned as assistant Interior secretary for water and science to join the Ferguson Group, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that advocates on behalf of irrigation districts and state and local water authorities.

Limbaugh said he will not lobby his old department during a federally mandated one-year 'cooling-off' period and will step aside from issues he worked on for at least two years as prescribed by the department's code of ethics.

'My reputation is all I have in Washington, and I'm going to keep that as reputable as possible,' said Limbaugh, an Idaho native who served as the department's top water and science official for two years before resigning last week. He joins the Ferguson Group on Monday.

Before his departure, Limbaugh led a 'conduct accountability board' at Interior created by Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. Kempthorne touted Limbaugh as 'a person of impeccable integrity' in a June 27 memo outlining a 10-point plan to make Interior 'a model of an ethical workplace.'

Two days later, Limbaugh announced he was joining the lobbying firm.

Limbaugh acknowledged that his new job could create a perception problem, but he said he was working with the Interior Department's ethics officer to ensure he does not work on any issues in his new job that were related to his previous position.

'Of course I have always adhered to those ethics rules and laws and will continue to do everything by the book. It's a line you don't ever want to cross,' he said.

Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said Limbaugh's departure continues a pattern of questionable behavior by political appointees at Interior.

'The new ethics wagon at Interior is having its wheels fall off before it's even rolled out of the garage,' he said.