Ryan Zinke in Trump Cabinet members actions and issues
On Energy & Oil:
Increase coal, oil & gas mining access at National Monuments
In April 2017, Zinke began reviewing at least 27 national monuments to determine if any of the monuments could be reduced in size. These changes were welcomed by Republicans but condemned by Democrats and environmentalist groups such as the Natural
Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club.After The New York Times took Zinke's Interior Department to court, it won and got 25,000 documents, of which 4,500 pages were related to Zinke's multi-monument review, and which showed the administration set
out to increase coal, oil and gas mining access. The documents also showed that the Zinke administration's new map pretty much matched that previously promoted by longtime Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, whose plan claimed it "would resolve all known mineral
conflicts for SITLA [Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration] within the Bears Ears. The real [beneficiaries] are Utah schoolchildren and the people of San Juan County," a claim disputed as hypocritical by the Utah Din‚ Bik‚yah tribe.
Source: Wikipedia.com for Trump Cabinet biographies
Dec 31, 2018
On Environment:
End ban on lead bullets & fishing tackle in wildlife refuges
On his first full day in office, Zinke rescinded the policy implemented on January 19, 2017, the last day of the Obama administration, that banned the use of lead bullets and lead fishing tackle in national wildlife refuges. Zinke said: "Over the past
eight years hunting, and recreation enthusiasts have seen trails closed and dramatic decreases in access to public lands across the board. It worries me to think about hunting and fishing becoming activities for the land-owning elite. This package of
secretarial orders will expand access for outdoor enthusiasts and also make sure the community's voice is heard." The regulation was meant to help prevent lead contamination of plants and animals.The move was opposed by the Sierra Club,
Center for Biological Diversity, and other environmental groups. The rollback was praised by the National Rifle Association, as well as other "gun rights advocates, sportsmen's groups, conservatives and state wildlife agencies."
Source: Wikipedia.com for Trump Cabinet biographies
Dec 31, 2018
On Energy & Oil:
Public lands opened for private company energy development
As the director of the National Park Service, at NPS we were hopeful [about] Ryan Zinke [when he was first appointed as Secretary of Interior], but we were soon disappointed, then appalled, as his doors were soon darkened by oil executives and climate
deniers. Under Zinke, policies that planned for climate change's impacts on national parks were rescinded, and leasing of public lands for development was accelerated (despite a glut of oil). Millions of acres that were available for outdoor recreation
will now be held by private companies for fossil fuel development. Many distinguished career public servants will be gone and many mid-level employees will be reconsidering their career choices.
Regulations that protect our air, water and wildlife will be weakened and need rebuilding. And our options for addressing climate change will have been narrowed.
Source: NPS Director in The Guardian on 2018 Trump Cabinet
Dec 16, 2018
On Principles & Values:
No safe haven for neo-Nazi white nationalists
Top Montana lawmakers warned neo-Nazis they would find "no safe haven" for a rally that could include guns planned for next month in a mountain town where white nationalists have threatened Jewish residents.The lawmakers include both Democrats and
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, recently picked by Republican President-elect Donald Trump to be interior secretary. "We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here," Zinke wrote in an open letter also signed
by Gov. Steve Bullock (D); U.S. Sens. Steve Daines (R), and Jon Tester (D); and Attorney General Tim Fox (R).
Neo-Nazis plan to march in January in the mountain ski town of Whitefish in Montana's remote and rugged northwestern reaches. The march is
to support the mother of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer. Sherry Spencer is facing pressure from community members to sell a building she owns in Whitefish because of its ties to her son and to disavow her son's beliefs.
Source: Religion News Service on Trump Cabinet
Dec 28, 2016
Page last updated: Dec 11, 2020