Trump's Interior Secretary Pick Envisions a Future Where You Can Hunt, Fish, and 'Drill An Oil Well'

Source: Independent Journal Review

Back in December, President-elect Donald Trump picked Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) as his interior secretary.

Many publications and environmentalists expressed relief over the pick, but now some are changing their minds.

Bob Irvin, president of the non-profit American Rivers, told The Huffington Post in a mid-December interview:

"Of the short list of finalists who President-elect Trump was reportedly considering for Secretary of the Interior, we believe Rep. Zinke has the most balanced track record when it comes to conserving our nation’s lands, waters and wildlife.

However, we have serious concerns about some of the views he has expressed on expanding logging, mining, and oil and gas drilling on our public lands, and we are disappointed that he has consistently opposed efforts to restore protections for clean water and combat climate change."

Zinke, a former Navy SEAL and avid outdoorsman, may not be living up to their hopes, according to his confirmation hearing.

HuffPo also reports that the 55-year-old compared hunting and fishing to...well, drilling oil [emphasis added]:

"There are some areas that need to be set aside that are absolutely appropriate for man to be an observer, and I think there are special places in our country that deserve that recognition.

But a lot of it is traditional uses of what we find in North Dakota and Montana, where you can hunt, you can fish, you can drill an oil well."

Zinke also went after federal land designations which he said make it harder for sportsmen to access traditional hunting and fishing grounds. He claimed that it made the sports too elitist.

The future interior secretary does, however, believe that global warming exists and that it's influenced by human actions.

Like many aspects of the incoming Trump presidency, Americans will just have to wait to find out what the future holds.