Trump taps Montana congressman Ryan Zinke as Interior secretary

[janx]

Source: Washington Post

President-elect Trump has tapped GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke, who has represented Montanas at-large congressional seat for one term, to serve as secretary of the Department of the Interior, according to an individual with first-hand knowledge of the decision.

Zinke, who studied geology as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon and served as a Navy SEAL from 1986 to 2008 before entering politics, campaigned for his House seat on a platform of achieving North American energy independence. He sits on the House Natural Resources Committee as well as the Armed Services Committee.

A lifelong hunter and fisherman, the 55-year-old Zinke has defended public access to federal lands even though he frequently votes against environmentalists. 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.

What I saw was a platform that was more divisive than uniting, Zinke said at the time. At this point, I think its better to show leadership.



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/13/trump-taps-montana-congressman-ryan-zinke-as-interior-secretary/?pushid=breaking-news_1481674845&tid=notifi_push_breaking-news&utm_term=.957cdf168fb0

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Not as bad as I thought, and yes, I'm ready for some people to explode.

[wordpix]

4. "frequently votes against environmentalists," so I think not

[LonePirate]

9. My apologies. I misread that line. He's as awful as the rest of the cabinet.

[OnlinePoker]

2. Say goodbye to the wolves if he gets his way

"This is another example of the Federal Government fumbling the ball in its attempt to manage from DC. The program from the beginning has been fraught with errors, starting with the introduction of a larger and more deadly non-native species."

"I recall FWP recently stating there are around 140 verified packs, which represents a number far greater than the original target. I have talked to ranchers and hunting guides across the state and they put the population in the 2500-3000 range. No doubt, the woods now belong to the wolf, and the game and other predators are feeling the pressure. First, we need to get an accurate number so they can be effectively managed. Second, we need to protect the ranchers and restore the depleted game herds by reducing the number and range of the wolf. Third, we need a sustainable state and locally controlled management plan based on ground truth and common sense," states Ryan Zinke.

http://www.lobowatch.org/adminclient/WolfWar7/go

[janx]

3. I love the lobos and hate that kind of management talk...

But I still think the pick could have been worse. At least this guy is educated and experienced. Perhaps Trump knows he is in fact ignorant about these things (as opposed to foreign policy).

[Crash2Parties]

19. I don't think he'll last long with his penchant for getting accurate numbers before acting.

[TomCADem]

5. Next: Walter White to Lead the DEA *

Nt

[janx]

7. I saw that--my home state-- and it was very funny.

But it is not comparable, thank God.

[geek tragedy]

6. not a good choice, but much better than McMorris-Rodgers

and about as good as we can expect out of Trump.

I'm not a hunter, but hunters are a lot better on habitat conservation than Randian ideologues and energy lobbyists.

[janx]

8. Those are my thoughts, too.

Trump cannot afford to go crazy with the Department of the Interior in addition to his insanity in other areas.

[Blue Shoes]

13. He can afford to do whatever he pleases.

Hes literally face 0 meaningful backlash for any of this stupid decisions. Why stop now.

[haele]

10. Politics more than anything. I think Ryan and McConnell are having words with Pence.

McMorris-Rodgers leaving her seat might have given Blue-Dog Dems - or the few old-school moderate Republicans that are left in the area - a chance to get someone who is interested in governance rather than a lobbying job in that seat.
Zinke is a safer bet; they don't have to worry about a Democratic pickup and he's also someone who can appease the majority of those in his area who vote Republican because they hunt or ranch and have been fed Faux news blather for too long about City slicker Democrats stealing their guns - or they're white/Christianist/Mormon Cultists who will never vote Democratic.

Haele

[janx]

11. I love Montana. n/t

[haele]

14. Beautiful state; my brother had a job in Billings for a while.

However, there are a lot of people in Montana who will buy into lowest common denominator because they don't trust civilization and will take a man at his word if the right words were said, even if the man was obviously scamming them...

And there's been a distinct effort in the local media markets to corral people who just want to keep doing what they're doing, and blame bleeding heart liberals for all the bad scary stuff that's going on in the cities and on the coasts. And us ignorant liberals and progressives are going to tell them what to do for their own good, like they're children or something...
As I said, my brother was a good Liberal Democrat from Seattle living with his family in Billings for a while. There were a lot of areas even around town where he'd have to hold his tongue and watch his back if he didn't agree with what another local was bloviating about, and if he were outside town, he'd just have to keep his opinions to himself.

Haele

[hrmjustin]

12. Means Tester I'd most likely safe in 2018. This guy was his biggest possible competitor.

Also sets up a special election for the Montana house seat.

[Wabbajack_]

20. Heard he might

Serve for 18 months and still run for the Senate.

And there's no shortage of rethug candidates if he doesn't, they won a bunch of statewide offices last month.

[0rganism]

15. could be worse

frankly i expected someone from the ALCOA boardroom

[Ilsa]

16. Energy independence: we sell our oil to China,

Don't we? Yes, we still import ME oil, so I dont see what his problem is.

[TexasBushwhacker]

18. We do now, but they just lifted the export ban a year ago

Most of what the US produces is light crude, but different refineries handle different grades. There is currently a glut of light crude in the US because of fracking, more than our light crude refineries can handle. We are importing is a heavier grade from Canada, Mexico, South America and the ME. The cost and time it would take to convert the older refineries to handle lighter crude is prohibitive.

[Botany]

17. This is a nightmare

Say good bye to the wolves and grizzly bear.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. 3% score with League of Conservation Voters in 2015

Of those they rated, 104 in Congress are below him with a score of 0%; he is one of 90 with a score of 3%; 242 have a better score than him.

http://scorecard.lcv.org/members-of-congress

Not exactly Rachel Carson.