Today, in a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, United States Senator Ken Salazar formally announced his intent to resign from the Senate, pending his confirmation to serve as Secretary of the Interior.

The following is his resignation letter:

January 17, 2009

The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Majority Leader Reid:

I intend to submit my resignation as United States Senator for the State of Colorado upon United States Senate confirmation of President-Elect Obama’s nomination of me to serve as Secretary of the Interior. I understand this may occur on January 20, 2009.

As I move on to serve Colorado, the West and the Nation in this new capacity, I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you how privileged I feel to have served as United States Senator for Colorado the past four years.

When I was elected to the United States Senate in 2004, I went to Washington with the simple goal of making Colorado a better place to live, work, and raise a family. I am proud of the many things we have accomplished. We fought to protect our land and water; we fought to increase the availability of quality, affordable health coverage for all; we fought to strengthen our nation’s defenses and better protect our homeland; we fought to build a clean energy economy and bring thousands of good-paying jobs to Colorado communities; and we fought tirelessly to create a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

I feel blessed to have walked with you and the people of Colorado on this joyous journey of the last four years—a journey that has taken me to each of Colorado’s sixty-four counties many times over, from the towns and cities of the Western Slope to the farming and ranching communities on the Eastern Plains. Everywhere I went, from Sedgwick to Saguache, I was welcomed into homes, businesses and schools. I will remain eternally grateful for the generosity and kindness of the people of Colorado.

As I prepare to leave my post as a United States Senator, I carry with me a firm and unyielding belief that there is no limit to what we can accomplish, that there is no problem we cannot solve, so long as we remember that we are in this together. It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve the five million people of the great state of Colorado as their United States Senator. You can be certain that as Secretary of the Interior, I will work hard, every day, to continue to make our country proud.

Sincerely,
Ken Salazar
United States Senator

The Senate is expected to consider President-Elect Obama’s nominations for the Cabinet in the coming days.