The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Rep. Ryan Zinke as President Trump’s first secretary of the interior.
The Montana Republican won a relatively easy confirmation vote on the Senate floor, 68 to 31, although most Democrats voted against him.
As interior secretary, Zinke will oversee energy development on federal lands and waters, the protection of endangered species and the operation of the country’s national parks.
The vote in favor of Zinke was not expected to be particularly constrained or controversial. Many Democrats said they believed they could work with him, although his views on climate change weren’t completely in line with their own.
