President Elect Trump announced his pick for Secretary of the Interior today, and it is Montana congressman Ryan Zinke. A stauch proponent of energy exploration and rolling back envorimenta regulations for energy production, Zinke will surely be yet another target for Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
Along with the EPA administrator pick, Zinke's nomination is a clear sign the the incoming administration plans on pursuing agressive domestic energy production, which will surely get much support from Republicans across the country. Congressional Republicans have wanted to ramp up domestic energy production for years, and they are responding with glee.
Arizona Representative Paul Gosar seems very enthusiastic about the Zinke pick:
Western states just scored a huge victory with @realDonaldTrump's pick for Interior Secretary, Rep. Ryan Zinke. https://t.co/aOpcaSxSgI
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) December 15, 2016
Gosar and Zinke worked closely to roll back EPA regulations in the House of Representatives in February of this year when Gosar responded to an EPA Ozone Standard report saying it would have a job-crushing effect in Arizona:
In late October (2015), the EPA once again moved the goal posts by unilaterally publishing a fundamentally-flawed new regulation that dramatically lowered the ozone standard for communities throughout the nation. This blatant overreach, not based on the best available science, will kill tens of thousands of jobs annually and cause more harm to our economy than any regulation in the history of this great country.
Furthermore, it is laughable that the EPA admits it does not have a clear plan for dealing with background ozone generated by factors outside the state’s control. This means the EPA is literally attempting to punish Arizona for ozone pollution that is created in California, Mexico and even China. This out-of-control agency, under the leadership of President Obama, continues its lawless, ideological attack on energy producers in order to further its own control over the lives of every American. I applaud the Center for Regulatory Solutions for their work on this issue and for exposing the significant economic harm that will occur in Arizona as a result of EPA’s terrible new regulation.”
Zinke was a member of the Armed Services Committee and the now more relevant House Committee on Natural Resources and its subcommittees on Engergy and Mineral Resources and on Federal Lands.