Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke last week again defended his decision to shrink Bears Ears national monument by calling himself a geologist, and although geology was his major in college, it is unclear if Zinke ever held a position in that field.
“I’m a geologist,” Zinke said while reasoning with lawmakers his decision to shrink Bears Ears. “I can assure you that oil and gas in Bears Ears was not part of my decision matrix. A geologist will tell you there is little, if any, oil and gas.”
Since being confirmed as secretary of the interior, Zinke has suggested or called himself a former geologist at least 40 times in public, according to a CNN report.
Zinke has used the credential to boost his credibility when discussing everything from climate change to fracking and drilling.
“I can tell you, from a geologist, offshore mining of sand is enormously destructive environmentally, as in comparison to seismic,” Zinke told the House Natural Resources Committee last month.
“Florida is different in the currents — I’m a geologist — it’s different in geology,” he said in an interview with Breitbart News when defending his decision to exempt Florida from offshore drilling.
When asked for comment on his career as a geologist, Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift provided CNN with a statement summarizing his education and career after college.
“Ryan Zinke graduated with honors with a B.S. in Geology. His intended career path was underwater geology — and he had college jobs to support that career. Upon graduation he was recruited to be an officer in the US Navy SEALs where he proudly served for 23 years and retired with the rank of Commander,” Swift said in her statement.
Several practicing geologists said Zinke’s comments, as someone with a 34-year-old degree that was never used, are disingenuous and they say he can not consider himself a geologist.
“I’m a geologist,” Zinke said during a Senate Appropriations hearing last June. “And I don’t consider myself a genius, but I’m a pretty smart guy.”
