Udall Statement on Trump's Planned Nomination of Rep. Ryan Zinke to head Interior Department

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, ranking member of the Appropriations subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, and incoming vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, made the following statement about President-elect Trump's announcement that he has chosen to nominate Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke to be Secretary of the Interior:

"As a senator from a Western state where hunting, fishing and other recreation are central to the economy, I feel strongly that we need our Interior Secretary to fight to defend our nation's legacy of keeping public lands in public hands for the benefit of all Americans. If he becomes our Interior Secretary, Congressman Zinke will need to be able to stand up to those who are threatening to make radical proposals that will upset the balance between responsible stewardship and natural resource development on America's public lands, and that could erase the bedrock environmental laws and policies that protect the water we drink, the air we breathe and the fabric of our ecosystems. The Department of the Interior also has important responsibilities to America's Tribal nations that the next Secretary must take very seriously. It is a big challenge, and I look forward to hearing more from Congressman Zinke about the Trump Administration's plans and his vision for these issues during the confirmation process."