Updated 6:36 p.m. MST
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to nominate as the nation鈥檚 next Interior Secretary. The former oil industry lobbyist and longtime government employee has been acting Secretary amid questions about his ethics and conflicts of interest.
I am pleased to announce that David Bernhardt, Acting Secretary of the Interior, will be nominated as Secretary of the Interior. David has done a fantastic job from the day he arrived, and we look forward to having his nomination officially confirmed!鈥� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
Bernhardt served as Deputy Interior Secretary during Zinke鈥檚 21-month tenure at the helm of the department. In that role, he was largely responsible for running daily operations in Washington. During his tenure, he has reduced regulations and helped open millions of acres of federally-managed public lands to potential oil and gas development.
The Interior Department is charged with managing a quarter of all land in the Mountain West and nearly half in Utah and Wyoming, specifically.
As Secretary, insiders expect him to continue much of Zinke and Trump鈥檚 energy independence agenda, something that raises ethical concerns for environmental advocates given Bernhardt鈥檚 ties to the oil and gas industry.
鈥淔rom the industry鈥檚 viewpoint, he seems to be a very, very good choice,鈥� said Phil Flynn, an energy market analyst with the PRICE Futures Group, a private market-insights group based in Chicago.
Flynn said he believes the U.S. Interior Department is being steered by the Trump administration鈥檚 pro-energy agenda, so not much will change under Bernhardt鈥檚 leadership.
鈥淚 think that there鈥檚 going to be reasonable decisions made when it comes to opening up public lands for drilling and expansion,鈥� Flynn said.
But staying the course under the Trump administration鈥檚 energy-dominant agenda isn鈥檛 great news for public lands advocates like Land Tawney, president of the sportsmen's group Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
鈥淏ernhardt has a track record of doing things behind the scenes, and now he鈥檒l have to do that out in front. So it will be interesting to see how he operates,鈥� Tawney said.
His organization has long been critical of Zinke鈥檚 tenure at the Interior Department.
鈥淭his idea of energy dominance is something that not only makes me nervous but [also] many hunters and anglers all across the country,鈥� he said. 鈥淓nergy development needs to happen, but it needs to happen in a balance going forward. Resource domination means money to me and I think our natural resources lose every single time.鈥�
According to a recent , a majority of Westerners agree with Tawney when it comes to energy development. Only eight percent believe that increasing energy development should be a top priority for the new Interior Secretary.
President Trump has yet to announce a date for Bernhardt鈥檚 Senate confirmation, but some Congressional Democrats are already expressing concerns.
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) is chair of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, the entity in charge of helping set the agency鈥檚 budget. She said she wasn鈥檛 happy with Bernhardt鈥檚 controversial choice to keep national parks open during the partial government shutdown.
鈥淛ust on this blush here I鈥檓 not in agreement on the way he makes decisions,鈥� McCollum said. 鈥淐ongress controls the purse and we will be doing scrutiny and oversight into how American tax funds are used to protect America鈥檚 treasures,鈥� she said.
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), former chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Bernhardt鈥檚 nomination was 鈥渁 brilliant move. No one is more experienced and I look forward to working with him.鈥�
Roughly a quarter of all land in the Mountain West region is managed by the Interior Department.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and 萝莉少女 in Colorado.
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