Trump Selects Ryan Zinke For Interior Secretary
Interior Secretary pick Montana congressman
The latest pick for Interior Secretary by President-elect Donald Trump is Montana congressman Ryan Zinke, the Washington Post reports. According to the paper, Zinke, a lifelong hunter and fisherman, has defended public access to federal lands. Zinke, however, frequently votes against environmentalists on issues ranging from coal extraction to oil and gas drilling.
This summer, he quit his post as a member of the GOP platform-writing committee after the group included language that would have transferred federal land ownership to the states. Trump considered Washington state Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to head the Interior Department. But she has decided to stay in Congress, according to USA Today.
he outdoor advocate group Backcountry Hunters & Anglers released a statement opposing McMorris Rodgers’ selection, based on her congressional record on public lands issues. Ryan Zinke photo
