Senate confirms Rep. Ryan Zinke for interior secretary


The Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Trump's pick to lead the Department of the Interior, Rep. Ryan Zinke, by a vote of 68-31.
Zinke, a Montana Republican and former Navy SEAL, will be charged with overseeing federal land and national parks and determining where and how fossil fuel drilling can occur. During his confirmation hearing, Zinke acknowledged that climate change was occurring but demurred on how much of that change is due to human activity.
The Interior Department also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which handles some relations with Native Americans regarding tribal lands.
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Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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