U.S. Senate confirms Trump's pick Ryan Zinke as Interior Secretary

The U.S. Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday confirmed congressman Ryan Zinke, picked by President Donald Trump, as the new Interior Secretary.

Zinke, 55, a Republican in his second term as Montana's sole House member, will take over a department that is responsible for the country's more than 400 million surface acres of public land, mostly in the West.

Agencies with the department can decide how resources like coal are managed and which animals are eligible for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

At a January hearing, Zinke said that federal land management should be done under a "multiple-use" model that allows hiking, hunting, fishing and camping along with harvesting timber, mining for coal and drilling for oil and natural gas.

He also pledged to tackle an estimated 12 billion dollars backlog in maintenance and repair at national parks and stand firm against attempts to sell, give away or transfer federal lands.

Zinke rejected Trump's claim that climate change is a hoax, saying it is indisputable that environmental changes are affecting the world's temperature and human activity is a major reason.

During the hearing, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she is not convinced that Zinke will be able to "stand up" to Trump and prevent oil, gas and mining companies from unduly exploiting public lands.

Meanwhile, Senate Energy Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called Zinke an excellent choice, noting that the fifth-generation Montanan is an avid hunter, fisherman and skier.

"He was born in the West. He lives in the West. He understands it, he understands its people," Murkowski said.

Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, has served as a Montana state senator. Endit