Senate Confirms Rep. Ryan Zinke to Run the Department of the Interior

On March 1, 2017, the Senate easily confirmed Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican, as the Secretary of Interior.

Zinke, a former state senator, Navy SEAL commander and avid hunter and angler, has positioned himself as a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist. At his confirmation hearing, Zinke endorsed Republican policies like supporting more oil and gas drilling and mining. However, he also promised to oppose large-scale transfers of federal land to state or private interests, a position supported by Democrats. Zinke did not express a clear position on the Endangered Species Act, which has been the subject of recent Republican reform efforts, or how he would approach climate change issues for the land and resources now under his management.

Contact Holland & Knight for more information about the Zinke appointment, the Department of Interior and natural resources law reform efforts.