Transcripts For CSPAN Ryan Zinke Says He Will Address Sexual

This portion is just about 90 minutes. Good afternoon, everyone. Afternoon,ted, this i will give a lay of the land here this afternoon. I will first proceed with my Opening Statement, then i will call upon Ranking Member senator cantwell to make hers. After she have concluded with her remarks, we will hear from our colleagues. Is on theine committee here. Senator chester, it is good to have you join us as well. They will introduce the distinguished witness and the other member from the montana delegation, ryan zinke. I will then swear in the witness, as kim three questions that we addressed to all nominees at confirmation hearings. Will proceed this afternoon. I think it is important to us to recognize that we had a vote scheduled at about 4 15. That will cause a little bit of an interruption, but we do want expeditiously through the meeting. Before i proceed, i would like to recognize an individual who is well known to this committee room. That is the former chairman of the energy committee, former senator frank murkowski, who i happen to know well. A little bit of favoritism there. Good to have you as well. I would also like to welcome the new members to the committee. We have three new members, and we are pleased to have a new cortez,from nevada, ms. Welcome. As well as the junior senator from illinois, senator duckworth. And, senator sessions has also joined the committee. We know he is a little busy with other issues, but we do have three new members, and we welcome them. A new congress, a new ministry should, and i hope it will also be a new era for the department of the interior. Zinkek you, congressman for being here. Years has been a life of service. O our country of course, more recently, you have answered the call to continue your work as cabinet secretary for the next president. Knowd just begun to get to one another here is the president elect announced his intention to nominate you. I have appreciated the conversations we have had, and i look forward to continuing them in this more formal setting today. As you learn more about each of the state touched by the department of interior, i appreciate your effort to understand how and why alaska is unique among them. Alaska has had a difficult, or tenuous, relationship with the Outgoing Administration more than an understatement. Our Current Administration seems to see us as a broad expanse of wilderness with little value. We have lost access to land and water that even president carter promised would be open to us. We have had our right to manage wildlife in our borders be ripped away. Thatight years, it seemed this administration has taken the approach that alaska must be protected by alaskans, and they have reacted accordingly. Through the interior department, Obama Administration thousandsohn tens of of square miles of coverage in areas. It has attended to convert the area, and a coastal plain area, set aside by congress for its energy potential. It has closed leaves, and costly litigation. It goes on, and on. Though obama in ministries has repeatedly violated, or sought clause. Eyd be no more of an deprived us opportunity, but offered nothing in return, not even to a lack of native villages that are affected from Climate Change. Rejected a secretary single lane nonuse road necessary to protect the health and safety of alaskans. Without that road, we have been seen recently an elderly woman who was forced to wait more than 40 hours for help to arrive. The postera may be child, the reality is that our state is not alone in having suffered at the hands of the interior department. Localittle regard for landscape level planning, a term that he and reasonable, is a strategy that has been used to reduce the influence of local areas. Sitting ineone washington, d. C. Will determine what the life of someone in utah will look like. This is the interior department you are walking into. Antonin on you and, so are many americans, to come in and fix it. We know you are a navy man, so excuse the expression, but i hope the cavalry is on the way. We need the department to recognize that individuals such as john sturgeon, what they go through when they overreach into our lives. There will allow us to produce our resources and help us theore throughput in transalaskan pipeline. It will prioritize the cleanup of contaminated lands and legacies. Millionhich is 223 federal acres, and one quarter of its land in private ownership, one quarter of one percent in land of private ownership. Interior must recognize the importance of transfer and Land Transfer exchanges. Ngsa. Ses made pursuant to a promises made to our native veterans. Ensuring our federal government honors those commitments to americans remains one of my highest priorities. We need a department that will rely on the expertise of the to addresso more volcanic and mineral mapping. If you are confirmed, you will inherit an array of challenges much broader in scope. We are not rapidly taking care of what we already have. U. S. Affiliated islands and these territories range from worker visas that cannot be forgotten either. Then there is the bureau of Indian Affairs. ImproveWork Together to and empower our native communities. Legal requirement that the Outgoing Administration has often failed to see. I expect we will Work Together in a manner that is thoughtful and reflective of a true partnership. I hope that you will be able to show that the interior department is capable of working with, rather than against, local state cultures to achieve results. We have shared a division a vision of how your department will work. We know it will take hard work and close cooperation with this committee, but that work is well for all of us who care about public lands, who want to see it managed well, and who has access to them. I thank you for being here for your willingness to serve. I would like to turn to ranking level cant well for your comm ents. Welcome to the chair, the new members of the committee, particularly on our side3 of ofe aisle. Thank you for being willing to serve on this committee, and id maybe look forward to senator sessions on the comittee. And our two colleagues, thank you for coming to support the nomination of your colleague, who has been nominated by the president elect. I will give you my congratulations on that nomination when we get to the q a. Today we are here to discuss the office of the secretary of interior is what of the most important offices of the federal government. In overseas the park, wildlife refuge and it is responsible for protecting our nations sponsor ability to Indian Country and insular areas which gets little attention here and deserves more attention. The secretary is responsible for much of the onshore, offshore Mineral Resources and it manages the Water Resources in western states responsible for the nations hydro system, something that senator wyden and i are keen on. It is a farreaching portfolio. It is growing and it impacts our economy. Responsibilities is that the secretary of interior is overseeing our National Parks. Have an annual operating budget of more than 3 billion. It is also americas treasure. They drive an Outdoor Economy that provides over 6. 1 million 646 billion in annual revenue. Never underestimate the value of public land when it comes to recreation. A modesthave improvement to our National Park i believe our 100year celebration deserves more and i look forward to asking the nominee if he agrees with me on that. I know more americans want to invest in these crown jewels and fixing the maintenance backlog. One of the successes that the senate had was bypassing was passing Bipartisan Legislation through the Conservation Fund legislation. As an avidat sportsman he knows the value of our public land and was enthusiastic about trying to come up with Bipartisan Legislation to fix the bipartisan fund. With a new administration, are these public lands going to face an unbelievable attack by those who would like to take them away . Rom us are we going to continue to manage these resources for the incredible investment they are and continue to improve to get more economic return. A second digit responsibility of the department of the interior is the management of resources extraction. , outerlion o. C. S. Continental shelf. Todays hearing is about making sure the nominee would like to minimize environmental harm, a four cleanup and have one fundamental runcible which is that polluters principal, which is that polluters pay. We went these Public Policies to be getting a fair return for the american taxpayer. Provoke n over to problems in the fossil fuel program that could cost over 200 million per year in lost revenue. The open, administration took important steps to fix these problems. The deepwater horizon still exposed the consequences of failing to have these regulations and also caused us to put in major reforms to make sure that important oversight and regulations were not pushed aside and that we monitor these programs. I would say that the cold program is one that needs continued focus and attention. The Obama Administration has adopted rules to ensure a fair return to texas, required to taxes, requiring everyone clear accountability for what they pay. G. O. Found that coal mining alone gets special treatment in the ability to have bonding for recreation requirements. Everyone else, wind, solar, and hard rock miners, have to post a thirdparty bond to makes her they can clean up the financial a surety of the pollution that would be caused. This is something that would need to be addressed and i would hope our nominee can address it. This includes overseeing the bureau of Indian Affairs, indian education, and a 2. 5 million budget. Colleagues, many of whom serve on this committee, and also on Indian Affairs, will not have a chance a point these important issues out to nominee but clearly these issues of stewardship support for tribal education, social ,ervices, and infrastructure regardless of the side of the aisle use it on, you will hear many things for people on Indian Affairs and how important these issues are to the constituents whom would represent. Whom we represent. Also important to carry out our obligations in Insular Affairs and there are many issues we will get to in the q a, but i would like to bring up a few issues as it relates to the pacific northwest. There are issues where climate h issueste where climate hands caused there are collaborative issues to make sure that in both washington and oregon, we are doing all we can to plan for better Resource Management over water supply and build capacity for the future. And we have reached consensus here and in the senate as well. O stop fire borrowing ofould mention it particular importance to all of us in the pacific northwest, the important pending reauthorization or recommitment of the Columbia River treaty. It needs a lot of attention and direction. We hope we will have a chance to ask you questions about that as well. I congratulate the nominee and look forward to hearing from him and his wife and meeting his family as he makes his introduction. We will now turn to the montana senators for introduction of a nominee. Senator gains, we will turn to you and then we will hear from senator tester to hear from the nominee to be secretary of the interior. Honor totruly my great introduce a fellow montanan, an american hero, and a good friend of mine. In support of your confirmation as interior secretary to our new president , donald j. Trump. As you have the entire delegation before you today, we have both tennis senators, one who is a republican and one who is a democrat. 1979 when weyan in were both High School Students in montana. We were in dylan montana for boys. Ryan from whitefish high school. He was captain of the soontobe champion, state whitefish bulldogs team. After high school, ryan went to the university of oregon where he was a full scholarship, starting athlete for the oregon ducks, their football to where he would win numerous awards for outstanding academic and athletic performance. Majored in a subject matter that has served him well in serving the people of montana. Enlisted in the United States navy. Zinke was an ryan elite seal team commander. Part of his tenure was serving under general mattis, as commander of joint special usces in iraq, at the height of insurgent activity. I would like to highlight his service as a seal. Nevers ever quit. Quit. They dont know the definition of the work because they never do. Navy seals dont fail, they die trying. Ryan that work ethic that brings with him on every mission he takes other it is in the military, the United States congress, or the department of interior. During his 23 years of service as a seal, he conducted special operations. He trained and meant toward thousands of men and women and made sure that our troops were as prepared and safe as possible, when conducting these no failed missions around the globe. He was the guy the navy called upon to go into units, and see how they could be improved. Whether it was looking at new soancements in technology, special forces could invade new landscapes undetected by the enemy, or implement a new processes and policies that commanders could investigate more efficiently during combat, aan zinke has always been most trusted leader, and it will be no different in the department of interior. As the deputy and acting commander of joint special ledes in iraq in 2004, ryan a combined force of special operators through the streets of fallujah. He conducted special operations at the height of terrorist activity in what can only be described as a warehouse of death. He had to use a strategy of tens of thousands of personnel, military and civilian, to advance our mission. He coordinated with other agencies to achieve diplomatic and military missions. Two bronze stars and many other rewards for his service to our great nation. We should be thankful to his their children for their service. Apples do not fall far from the tree. Ryans daughter, sitting beside him, was a navy diver. His soninlaw is also a navy seal. Following his retirement from the navy, after 23 years of honorable service, ryan came back to montana and continued to serve. Senate,or the state and then as montanas sole representative to the United States its out United States house. He was the first navy seal ever elected to the United States congress. You see, ryan grew up 30 minutes from glacier National Park. I grew up 60 minutes from yellowstone National Park. We both understand the importance of National Parks. Ryan and i have shared a mckinsey vote together boat together, flyfishing on one of my 10s one of montanas many streams. Ryan has lived it. Hometownen his own suffered due to bad Government Policies that hurt Rural Communities like libby, like malta, and others, that depend on public land access. Ryan is a born and bred montanan. We have to strike that balance between conservation and responsible energy development. Onesizetands that a fits all policy, like from washington, d. C. , never works from rural america. Ryan zinke is smart. He has montana horse sense. He is the guy you want in your corner, whether you are fighting in fallujah for your life, or on the four of congress for your livelihood. He listens and fights for what he believes in. I have no doubt that he will be a fighter for america, and for our public lands as the next secretary of the interior. Senator, thank you for joining us here at the committee. Please proceed with your introductions. I want to thank you, chairwoman murkowski, and Ranking Member can well cantwell, for allowing me to be here. Introduce aor to decorated navy veteran and fellow public servant. Our time here, both congressmens inky and i had the pleasure of serving in the Montana Senate the not at the same time. I want to thank him for answering the call to serve our great nation. I believe it is very important for someone who knows the west to Service Interior secretary. It is incredibly important, americas today as public lands come under attack by those who want individual states to manage them which is the first step in selling of public lands to the highest bidder. It falls on this committee to ask congress and zinc he congressman zinke specific questions about how he will perform as interior secretary, and how he will push back against this administration with his montana perspective whenever necessary. Things like keeping public lands in public hands, an important issue at this time. Things like deferred maintenance and backlog wreaking havoc on our National Parks system. Things like the Conservation Fund. How to work with congress to ensure full and devoted funding like that Conservation Fund. As the chairwoman pointed out, things like conservation in Indian Country, for americas sovereign nations, and how to responsibly manage a glance for energy and resource developing, and how to balance that between clean water, clean air, and wildlife in the habitat that supports them. Im encouraged by the congressmans support for protecting the gateway to the yellowstone Opening Statement<\/a>, then i will call upon Ranking Member<\/a> senator cantwell to make hers. After she have concluded with her remarks, we will hear from our colleagues. Is on theine committee here. Senator chester, it is good to have you join us as well. They will introduce the distinguished witness and the other member from the montana delegation, ryan zinke. I will then swear in the witness, as kim three questions that we addressed to all nominees at confirmation hearings. Will proceed this afternoon. I think it is important to us to recognize that we had a vote scheduled at about 4 15. That will cause a little bit of an interruption, but we do want expeditiously through the meeting. Before i proceed, i would like to recognize an individual who is well known to this committee room. That is the former chairman of the energy committee, former senator frank murkowski, who i happen to know well. A little bit of favoritism there. Good to have you as well. I would also like to welcome the new members to the committee. We have three new members, and we are pleased to have a new cortez,from nevada, ms. Welcome. As well as the junior senator from illinois, senator duckworth. And, senator sessions has also joined the committee. We know he is a little busy with other issues, but we do have three new members, and we welcome them. A new congress, a new ministry should, and i hope it will also be a new era for the department of the interior. Zinkek you, congressman for being here. Years has been a life of service. O our country of course, more recently, you have answered the call to continue your work as cabinet secretary for the next president. Knowd just begun to get to one another here is the president elect announced his intention to nominate you. I have appreciated the conversations we have had, and i look forward to continuing them in this more formal setting today. As you learn more about each of the state touched by the department of interior, i appreciate your effort to understand how and why alaska is unique among them. Alaska has had a difficult, or tenuous, relationship with the Outgoing Administration<\/a> more than an understatement. Our Current Administration<\/a> seems to see us as a broad expanse of wilderness with little value. We have lost access to land and water that even president carter promised would be open to us. We have had our right to manage wildlife in our borders be ripped away. Thatight years, it seemed this administration has taken the approach that alaska must be protected by alaskans, and they have reacted accordingly. Through the interior department, Obama Administration<\/a> thousandsohn tens of of square miles of coverage in areas. It has attended to convert the area, and a coastal plain area, set aside by congress for its energy potential. It has closed leaves, and costly litigation. It goes on, and on. Though obama in ministries has repeatedly violated, or sought clause. Eyd be no more of an deprived us opportunity, but offered nothing in return, not even to a lack of native villages that are affected from Climate Change<\/a>. Rejected a secretary single lane nonuse road necessary to protect the health and safety of alaskans. Without that road, we have been seen recently an elderly woman who was forced to wait more than 40 hours for help to arrive. The postera may be child, the reality is that our state is not alone in having suffered at the hands of the interior department. Localittle regard for landscape level planning, a term that he and reasonable, is a strategy that has been used to reduce the influence of local areas. Sitting ineone washington, d. C. Will determine what the life of someone in utah will look like. This is the interior department you are walking into. Antonin on you and, so are many americans, to come in and fix it. We know you are a navy man, so excuse the expression, but i hope the cavalry is on the way. We need the department to recognize that individuals such as john sturgeon, what they go through when they overreach into our lives. There will allow us to produce our resources and help us theore throughput in transalaskan pipeline. It will prioritize the cleanup of contaminated lands and legacies. Millionhich is 223 federal acres, and one quarter of its land in private ownership, one quarter of one percent in land of private ownership. Interior must recognize the importance of transfer and Land Transfer<\/a> exchanges. Ngsa. Ses made pursuant to a promises made to our native veterans. Ensuring our federal government honors those commitments to americans remains one of my highest priorities. We need a department that will rely on the expertise of the to addresso more volcanic and mineral mapping. If you are confirmed, you will inherit an array of challenges much broader in scope. We are not rapidly taking care of what we already have. U. S. Affiliated islands and these territories range from worker visas that cannot be forgotten either. Then there is the bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a>. ImproveWork Together<\/a> to and empower our native communities. Legal requirement that the Outgoing Administration<\/a> has often failed to see. I expect we will Work Together<\/a> in a manner that is thoughtful and reflective of a true partnership. I hope that you will be able to show that the interior department is capable of working with, rather than against, local state cultures to achieve results. We have shared a division a vision of how your department will work. We know it will take hard work and close cooperation with this committee, but that work is well for all of us who care about public lands, who want to see it managed well, and who has access to them. I thank you for being here for your willingness to serve. I would like to turn to ranking level cant well for your comm ents. Welcome to the chair, the new members of the committee, particularly on our side3 of ofe aisle. Thank you for being willing to serve on this committee, and id maybe look forward to senator sessions on the comittee. And our two colleagues, thank you for coming to support the nomination of your colleague, who has been nominated by the president elect. I will give you my congratulations on that nomination when we get to the q a. Today we are here to discuss the office of the secretary of interior is what of the most important offices of the federal government. In overseas the park, wildlife refuge and it is responsible for protecting our nations sponsor ability to Indian Country<\/a> and insular areas which gets little attention here and deserves more attention. The secretary is responsible for much of the onshore, offshore Mineral Resources<\/a> and it manages the Water Resources<\/a> in western states responsible for the nations hydro system, something that senator wyden and i are keen on. It is a farreaching portfolio. It is growing and it impacts our economy. Responsibilities is that the secretary of interior is overseeing our National Park<\/a>s. Have an annual operating budget of more than 3 billion. It is also americas treasure. They drive an Outdoor Economy<\/a> that provides over 6. 1 million 646 billion in annual revenue. Never underestimate the value of public land when it comes to recreation. A modesthave improvement to our National Park<\/a> i believe our 100year celebration deserves more and i look forward to asking the nominee if he agrees with me on that. I know more americans want to invest in these crown jewels and fixing the maintenance backlog. One of the successes that the senate had was bypassing was passing Bipartisan Legislation<\/a> through the Conservation Fund<\/a> legislation. As an avidat sportsman he knows the value of our public land and was enthusiastic about trying to come up with Bipartisan Legislation<\/a> to fix the bipartisan fund. With a new administration, are these public lands going to face an unbelievable attack by those who would like to take them away . Rom us are we going to continue to manage these resources for the incredible investment they are and continue to improve to get more economic return. A second digit responsibility of the department of the interior is the management of resources extraction. , outerlion o. C. S. Continental shelf. Todays hearing is about making sure the nominee would like to minimize environmental harm, a four cleanup and have one fundamental runcible which is that polluters principal, which is that polluters pay. We went these Public Policies<\/a> to be getting a fair return for the american taxpayer. Provoke n over to problems in the fossil fuel program that could cost over 200 million per year in lost revenue. The open, administration took important steps to fix these problems. The deepwater horizon still exposed the consequences of failing to have these regulations and also caused us to put in major reforms to make sure that important oversight and regulations were not pushed aside and that we monitor these programs. I would say that the cold program is one that needs continued focus and attention. The Obama Administration<\/a> has adopted rules to ensure a fair return to texas, required to taxes, requiring everyone clear accountability for what they pay. G. O. Found that coal mining alone gets special treatment in the ability to have bonding for recreation requirements. Everyone else, wind, solar, and hard rock miners, have to post a thirdparty bond to makes her they can clean up the financial a surety of the pollution that would be caused. This is something that would need to be addressed and i would hope our nominee can address it. This includes overseeing the bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a>, indian education, and a 2. 5 million budget. Colleagues, many of whom serve on this committee, and also on Indian Affairs<\/a>, will not have a chance a point these important issues out to nominee but clearly these issues of stewardship support for tribal education, social ,ervices, and infrastructure regardless of the side of the aisle use it on, you will hear many things for people on Indian Affairs<\/a> and how important these issues are to the constituents whom would represent. Whom we represent. Also important to carry out our obligations in Insular Affairs<\/a> and there are many issues we will get to in the q a, but i would like to bring up a few issues as it relates to the pacific northwest. There are issues where climate h issueste where climate hands caused there are collaborative issues to make sure that in both washington and oregon, we are doing all we can to plan for better Resource Management<\/a> over water supply and build capacity for the future. And we have reached consensus here and in the senate as well. O stop fire borrowing ofould mention it particular importance to all of us in the pacific northwest, the important pending reauthorization or recommitment of the Columbia River<\/a> treaty. It needs a lot of attention and direction. We hope we will have a chance to ask you questions about that as well. I congratulate the nominee and look forward to hearing from him and his wife and meeting his family as he makes his introduction. We will now turn to the montana senators for introduction of a nominee. Senator gains, we will turn to you and then we will hear from senator tester to hear from the nominee to be secretary of the interior. Honor totruly my great introduce a fellow montanan, an american hero, and a good friend of mine. In support of your confirmation as interior secretary to our new president , donald j. Trump. As you have the entire delegation before you today, we have both tennis senators, one who is a republican and one who is a democrat. 1979 when weyan in were both High School Students<\/a> in montana. We were in dylan montana for boys. Ryan from whitefish high school. He was captain of the soontobe champion, state whitefish bulldogs team. After high school, ryan went to the university of oregon where he was a full scholarship, starting athlete for the oregon ducks, their football to where he would win numerous awards for outstanding academic and athletic performance. Majored in a subject matter that has served him well in serving the people of montana. Enlisted in the United States<\/a> navy. Zinke was an ryan elite seal team commander. Part of his tenure was serving under general mattis, as commander of joint special usces in iraq, at the height of insurgent activity. I would like to highlight his service as a seal. Nevers ever quit. Quit. They dont know the definition of the work because they never do. Navy seals dont fail, they die trying. Ryan that work ethic that brings with him on every mission he takes other it is in the military, the United States<\/a> congress, or the department of interior. During his 23 years of service as a seal, he conducted special operations. He trained and meant toward thousands of men and women and made sure that our troops were as prepared and safe as possible, when conducting these no failed missions around the globe. He was the guy the navy called upon to go into units, and see how they could be improved. Whether it was looking at new soancements in technology, special forces could invade new landscapes undetected by the enemy, or implement a new processes and policies that commanders could investigate more efficiently during combat, aan zinke has always been most trusted leader, and it will be no different in the department of interior. As the deputy and acting commander of joint special ledes in iraq in 2004, ryan a combined force of special operators through the streets of fallujah. He conducted special operations at the height of terrorist activity in what can only be described as a warehouse of death. He had to use a strategy of tens of thousands of personnel, military and civilian, to advance our mission. He coordinated with other agencies to achieve diplomatic and military missions. Two bronze stars and many other rewards for his service to our great nation. We should be thankful to his their children for their service. Apples do not fall far from the tree. Ryans daughter, sitting beside him, was a navy diver. His soninlaw is also a navy seal. Following his retirement from the navy, after 23 years of honorable service, ryan came back to montana and continued to serve. Senate,or the state and then as montanas sole representative to the United States<\/a> its out United States<\/a> house. He was the first navy seal ever elected to the United States<\/a> congress. You see, ryan grew up 30 minutes from glacier National Park<\/a>. I grew up 60 minutes from yellowstone National Park<\/a>. We both understand the importance of National Park<\/a>s. Ryan and i have shared a mckinsey vote together boat together, flyfishing on one of my 10s one of montanas many streams. Ryan has lived it. Hometownen his own suffered due to bad Government Policies<\/a> that hurt Rural Communities<\/a> like libby, like malta, and others, that depend on public land access. Ryan is a born and bred montanan. We have to strike that balance between conservation and responsible energy development. Onesizetands that a fits all policy, like from washington, d. C. , never works from rural america. Ryan zinke is smart. He has montana horse sense. He is the guy you want in your corner, whether you are fighting in fallujah for your life, or on the four of congress for your livelihood. He listens and fights for what he believes in. I have no doubt that he will be a fighter for america, and for our public lands as the next secretary of the interior. Senator, thank you for joining us here at the committee. Please proceed with your introductions. I want to thank you, chairwoman murkowski, and Ranking Member<\/a> can well cantwell, for allowing me to be here. Introduce aor to decorated navy veteran and fellow public servant. Our time here, both congressmens inky and i had the pleasure of serving in the Montana Senate<\/a> the not at the same time. I want to thank him for answering the call to serve our great nation. I believe it is very important for someone who knows the west to Service Interior<\/a> secretary. It is incredibly important, americas today as public lands come under attack by those who want individual states to manage them which is the first step in selling of public lands to the highest bidder. It falls on this committee to ask congress and zinc he congressman zinke specific questions about how he will perform as interior secretary, and how he will push back against this administration with his montana perspective whenever necessary. Things like keeping public lands in public hands, an important issue at this time. Things like deferred maintenance and backlog wreaking havoc on our National Park<\/a>s system. Things like the Conservation Fund<\/a>. How to work with congress to ensure full and devoted funding like that Conservation Fund<\/a>. As the chairwoman pointed out, things like conservation in Indian Country<\/a>, for americas sovereign nations, and how to responsibly manage a glance for energy and resource developing, and how to balance that between clean water, clean air, and wildlife in the habitat that supports them. Im encouraged by the congressmans support for protecting the gateway to the yellowstone National Park<\/a>. When a Mining Company<\/a> proposed to drill a few miles from the doorstep of this nations first National Park<\/a>, hungers joined me, local bit the congressman businesses, and others for our if he provides you with the businesses, and answers, that he has provided to me, i i spent you will find he is well equipped to hold this post with accountability. As a westerner, i know what is at stake. I am honored to introduce congressman zinke to this committee, and i trust that the seal, as always, will shoot straight. Here andyou for being for providing that introduction to our nominee. With that, rep resented of z representative zinke, if you will come forward, before your Opening Statement<\/a> and introducing your family, i will ask that we proceed with administering the otath which is customary in hearings such as this one, and then i will ask three questions, customary to operations within this committee. The rules require that nominees be sworn in, so please raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give to the Senate Committee<\/a> on energy and Natural Resources<\/a> shall be the seal truth, the whe truth, and nothing but the truth . Zinke i do. Before, i will ask you three questions, will you he available to peer to appear before the many to respond to issues of concern before the congress . Mr. Zinke i will. Are you aware of any personal holdings that would constitute a conflict or create the appearance of such a conflict should you be confirmed and assume the office to which you have been nominated by the president . Mr. Zinke madam chairman, my investments, personal holdings, and other interests have been reviewed and myself and other ethics counselors. I am taking all appropriate action to avoid any conflicts of interest, and there are no conflict of interest, or appearances, to my knowledge. Rep. Murkowski are you involved, or do you have assets held in blind trust . Mr. Zinke i do not. Rep. Murkowski you may proceed with the introduction of family and your Opening Statement<\/a>s. Thank you remember cantwell and members of the committee and thank you montana senators tester and daines for their kind remarks. Beforen honor to appear this esteemed Senate Committee<\/a> on energy and Natural Resources<\/a>. Before beginning might remarks i would like to recognize my members of the family joining me today. Ita, my two grandchildren, mathilde and charlotte. My daughter jennifer, and her husband, jack. For the record, i did tell my daughter dont join the navy, and dont marry a navy seal, and she did both. My sons wolfgang and conrad are back at school, and so they will not be with us. As the son of a plumber, and a kid who grew up in a small timber twon in town in whitefish near glacier park, i am humbled to be before you as the president elects nominee for secretary of the interior. Im deeply humbled because of the responsibility the position holds to be the steward of our majestic lands, the champion of our indian nations, and the manager and voice of our diverse wildlife. Unapologeticm an admirer of Teddy Roosevelt<\/a>, and believe that he had a right, when he placed under federal protection millions of acres of our federal lands, and set aside much of it as our national forest. Today, those lands provide americans the opportunity to hike, fish, camp, recreate, and enjoy the Great Outdoors<\/a>. It was on these lands that my father taught taught me to hunt and fish, and the boy scouts taught me the principles of stewardship, and importance of public access. It is also on these lands that many communities, like the land i grew up in, rely on these lands to harvest timber, to provide our nation with critical energy. Without question, our public lands, and americas treasures are rich in diversity. I recognize and appreciate that there are lands that deserve special recognition. Where man has a light touch and is an observer. I fully recognize the preponderance of our federal holdings are better suited under model, of multiple use, using best practices, sustainable policies, and objective science. During the recent centennial of our National Park<\/a> service, i found myself in a ceremony at yellowstone National Park<\/a>, our first National Park<\/a> established by congress, and signed into law by president ulysses s. Grant on march 1, 1872. As i enjoyed the celebration under the roosevelt arch, i could not help but notice the words etched on the stone above for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. I also could not help but notice the plaque on the side that sa id, erected by congress. I said this is the perfect policy of land that our great nation should uphold. In order to have great deeds, and to a compass great things, both sides have to Work Together<\/a>. Higher purpose can only be achieved by both sides coming together for higher purpose. In a nutshell, that is my commitment to you. If confirmed, i will work with each of you to ensure our public lands reflected higher purpose childrenur childrens come up my granddaughters children, can look back and say that we get it right that we did it right. I have almost met every member of this committee and i understand that every state is different. I also understand that issues within your state are different and you have other priorities. I am confident that we can Work Together<\/a> to get the job done. When asked what michaels might be i would say, there are what my goals might be, i would say there are three immediate tasks. Developing i fully recognize there is distrust, anger, and even hatred against some of federal management policies. Being a listener and a listening advocate rather than a death adversary is a good start. Second is the prioritizing the estimated 12. 5 billion in backlog of maintenance and repair of our National Park<\/a>s. The president elect is committed to a jobs bill, and im committed and need your help in making sure that bill includes our national treasures. Third, to ensure that the professionals in the frontline, our managers, rangers, have the right tools, the right resources, and the flexibility to make the right decisions to give a voice to the people they represent. As a former Montana State<\/a> senator and current congressman, i have learned a lot since i was a seal in the deserts of iraq. To aaccomplish my mission as secretary of the interior, if confirmed, i know that i will need your help. I will need your confidence and even perhaps your prayers. I look forward to answering your questions, and if confirmed, representing the interest of our great nation and giving a voice to all americans to include our great indian nations on how we manage, sustain our public lands, and the treasures they contain. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and this committee. I look forward to your questions. Senator murkowski thank you, congressman zinke. I could not see her when you were seated in front, but i would also like to recognize the representative from American Samoa<\/a> who is with us today, congresswoman ratigan. Good to have you here. A great deal of interest, obviously, in that aspect of the jurisdiction coming out of the interior department. Congressman, i would like to talk about the Land Management<\/a>. You and i have had a good deal of conversation about the necessity to manage our lands and manage them well. If confirmed, you will be responsible for managing over 245 million surface acres and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate. I think we both recognize that is a pretty weighty responsibility. Over 1 5 of it is in my state. That means your Land Management<\/a> efforts have an overwhelming impact on the state of alaska. We refer to the secretary of interior effectively as alaskas landlord. You are probably the most consequential member of the administration, outside of the president , in terms of issues that we work with. I take this nomination very, very seriously. I mentioned in my Opening Statement<\/a>s we have had a number of disagreements and a very difficult relationship at times with this administration. You have acknowledged that each of our states are different. I have walked you through our map, tried to outline why we are unique, why we are bigger and better and broader and faster, more complicated and challenging than most others. So my question to you, very broadly, is how will your approach to management of alaskas lands be different from what we have seen . How will your recognition of the unique aspects of a state like alaska be different in these years Going Forward<\/a> . Mr. Zinke thank you for the question. As you know, as we visited with each other, alaska is different. I recognize that. As a navy seal, i have spent time in kodiak, the aleutian chain, have not spent a lot of time on the interior. But clearly, what has happened is folks in alaska are upset. They feel like the management, they have no voice. If you are looking at the timber assets along the coast in the southern part of alaska, those timber assets, forest fires occur, and yet, we cannot harvest a tree. Inland, your pipeline is down at 40 . Engineering wise, there is a lot of issues when the backbone of alaskas energy is that low. A lot of it, i think, has to do with these cost savings mechanisms put in place. What has occurred is we have taken the field and we have made those in the field, taken away the resources and keep on bringing them up to consolidation, layers and layers. A lot of these decisions should be made on the field on the ground by people who are closest to the problem. These are people that live in communities. A lot of the blm rangers live in the community. They understand communities have to have a voice. I recognize alaska is different, it needs to be handled different because of the size. I also think, and thanks to your maps, i understand private land equity in alaska is so incredibly small. Your resources are incredibly large. The great people of alaska need to be a partner in the Proper Development<\/a> of those resources. Senator murkowski we look forward to a partnership and an even partnership. When it comes to consultation, to truly listening to alaskans, it just feels like we have fallen upon deaf ears. So a more welcoming dialogue is what we are anticipating Going Forward<\/a>. When we talk about the resources of alaska and alaskas willingness to share those resources with the rest of the country, and truly the world, one of our great assets is our oil reserves we have up north. Our transalaska pipeline is running three quarters empty. It now carries a little less than 500,000 barrels a day, and it is not due to lack a resource. Instead, it is a lack of permission to access those resources. Will you commit to a formal review of all of the Obama Administration<\/a>s actions that took resource bearing lands and waters in alaska effectively off the table, including the decisions that specifically prevented the leasing of those lands and waters for development, and determine whether or not they can be reversed . Mr. Zinke the president elect has said, we want to be energy independent. As a former navy seal, i think i have been to 63 countries in my lifetime. I can guarantee you it is better to produce energy domestically under reasonable regulation, on than watch it be produced overseas with no regulation. I have seen the consequences of what happens when you dont have any regulation in the middle east and we can do it right. The backbone of our Environmental Policies<\/a> have been nepa. Im a strong supporter of that. We also have to understand we need an economy. Look, if we dont have an economy as a country, then the rest of it does not matter. We will not be able to afford a strong military, nor are we going to be able to keep the promises we have made as a great nation. We have made a lot of promises to education, to our childrens future, infrastructure, social security. All of that takes an economy that is moving forward. Energy is a part of that economy. Alaska is a critical part of that economy. Alaska is different for a reason. You are blessed with great resources, you are blessed with great recreation, a little cold in the winter, but it is not palm springs. Senator murkowski you are from montana, you can handle it. Mr. Zinke yes, we can. I think we need to be prudent to make sure we are doing things right. Over time, the government keeps on getting bigger and bigger, the bureaucracy gets larger and larger, and we cannot get something done. I think we should come as a nation, look at everything with an objective on to get things done. Senator murkowski thank you. I will now turn to Ranking Member<\/a> senator cantwell. Senator campbell thank you, congressman zinke for your willingness to serve. Going from congressman to secretary of the interior means a different kind of port folio. I was hoping in this first round to cover three issues quickly with you. Then give our colleagues a chance to ask questions. First, obviously, you representing the district you do in montana, have made a lot of statements about coal. I want to understand for the record where you are. Do you believe the administration does have a right and should have a review of updating information about our coal program . Mr. Zinke i think always transparency is important to any administration has the permission to ask the right questions. Senator campbell so you when a the review underway right now . Mr. Zinke i dont know the specifics of that review, but i think we should always look at our Energy Portfolio<\/a> with an objectivist because it is important. Senator cantwell you dont have an objective on taxpayers getting a fair value. Mr. Zinke taxpayers should always get a fair value. Senator cantwell including on cold. Mr. Zinke wind, coal, all of the above. Senator cantwell on the gao statement on a surety, making sure Coal Companies<\/a> have the capability, just as other Energy Companies<\/a> to, do you support that as well . Mr. Zinke i have not read the specifics, but if it is a question that involves bonding i am from montana, where we have decker, a lot of coal mines, strip mines. I think bonding is important. I am also from a state, in the 1800s, mined gold by going up and down streambeds and taking all the material and dumping it upside down. I dont think we want to go back to those days. Some of the reclamation problems we had in the west are still not repaired. As a Teddy Roosevelt<\/a> Teddy Roosevelt<\/a> had the courage to look 100 years forward. I think we need to have the courage today to look 100 years forward and look back and say we did it right. Senator cantwell i hope that was a great endorsement of a stream protection rule, but on the Teddy Roosevelt<\/a> point, you have made comments. Do you support making the land and Water Conservation<\/a> Program Permanent<\/a> . Mr. Zinke i do. I think land and Water Conservation<\/a> has been important to montana, certainly in many of these states. We should look at it. If you are in the gulf states, i understand their point. The revenue comes from all offshore, and very little of it goes within the states that are affected most by the offshore industry. So i think we need to look at revenues and evening out the revenue source. Always you should look at programs to make sure more revenue goes to projects. Making sure the bureaucracy has not run over time. Lastly, i think the states should have a say the local communities should have a say of where the funds go, more so than they sometimes do today. Senator cantwell that in and of itself may lead me to go down a different line of questioning as it relates to making sure federal lands state and federal hands, as your colleague from montana said. I want to cover the park area backlog and budget. As i mentioned in my testimony, we have the 100 year anniversary, the Teddy Roosevelt<\/a> theme you have struck is important. We are talking about billions of dollars to our economy from the Outdoor Access<\/a> to our public lands. Do you think we need to go further than what we have done in supporting our National Park<\/a>s and getting rid of the maintenance backlog . Mr. Zinke i feel very strongly about it. As you point out, a lot of our National Park<\/a>s this last year are at capacity, we had record numbers. Looking forward, what do we do about it . A lot of it is repairing the roads, backlog, trails, but also looking at the public land around the park to make sure we look at those trail systems, to make sure the restrooms are clean him up to make sure the sewer systems work. When you are talking about a 12. 5 billion backlog, i was at a transition office, and on the enough, i looked at the park in front of the department of interior. The very park that everyone in the department of interior goes by every day. The fountains do not even work. They are in need of repair. Then you start asking, what about the rest of washington, d. C. . It turns out very few fountains work. Then you look at the Memorial Bridge<\/a> that goes across into arlington. I guess that needs 150 million. Senator cantwell we are out of time but i will come back to this question. There have been questions about your viewpoints in resolutions, in platforms about federal lands staying in federal hands. We will come back to that in the second round. Senator murkowski senator hoven. Senator hoven thank you, congressman zinke, for your service to the country and the u. S. Navy, and for your willingness to serve as secretary of the interior. Also i want to thank your family for their commitment to service as well, for being here. Talk for a minute if you would about a balanced approach to multiple use. Many different resources and very many different constituencies you have to deal with, the National Park<\/a>s, but also public lands, native american affairs. So on the blm, bureau of Land Management<\/a>, you managed to hundred 45 million surface acres, 700 million acres of subsurface minerals. Talk about how you manage that in a way that is balanced and multipleuse. Mr. Zinke in the spirit of roosevelt, it means you can use it for multiple purposes. I am concerned about public access. I am a hunter, fisherman. Multiple use is also making sure that you go in with both eyes open, that means sustainability. That means it doesnt have to be in conflict if you have recreation over mining. You just have to make sure that you understand what the consequence of each of those uses are. It is our public land. What i have seen most recently is our access is being shut off, roads are being shut off, and we are all getting older. When you dont have access to hunting areas, traditional fishing areas, it makes it an elite sport. I am concerned about the elitism of our traditional hunting, fishing, snowmobiling. Making our public lands accessible in the spirit of multiple use. Single use, if you look at the muir model of some of our areas, i agree, some areas need to be set aside that are appropriate for man to be an observer. There are special places in our country that deserve that recognition. But a lot of it is traditional uses of what we find in north dakota and montana where you can hunt and fish, you can drill an oil well. Make sure there is a permit, nepa. If you are doing something more intrusive, make sure you monitor the water. Everyone enjoys clean water. I dont think they are in conflict. You have to do it right. Senator hoeven as somebody who looks to hunt and fish, i appreciate that answer. We have had a real challenge with the Dakota Access<\/a> pipeline protest. State and local Law Enforcement<\/a> has worked very hard to keep the peace and keep people safe, but we need federal Law Enforcement<\/a> help as well. In your case, that means bia Law Enforcement<\/a>. If you are confirmed, will you ensure that bia Law Enforcement<\/a> works with state and local Law Enforcement<\/a> to resolve the situation to keep people safe, and to make sure the rule of law is followed . Mr. Zinke yes, and we talked about it in your office. If confirmed, i will be a very busy man traveling. I will travel to utah, alaska, and north dakota. Those are three impending problems that we need to resolve quickly. I have Great Respect<\/a> for the indian nations. The last time the sioux nations all got together, i would say general custer probably would say that was not a good issue. You look at this and there is deep cultural ties. There is a feeling like we have not been a fair consultant, fair partner. I think we need to listen to that voice. That is part of the trust. Outside of washington, d. C. , when you start going west, north dakota, there is a lot of anger. There is a lot of mistrust. Not everywhere, but enough where i am concerned. Im concerned we need to be better partners. We need to Work Together<\/a>, we need to Work Together<\/a> as a congress. We all rise and fall on the same tide. We all love our public lands. The duty of the department of interior, as the secretary, is to make sure we have broad consensus of what we are doing. Every state is different. Senator hoeven thank you. My final question is onesizefitsall. Too often in federal government we see a onesizefitsall, versus empowering states and people at the local level. To do what makes the most sense, given their part of the country. I would ask you to just give your opinion on the onesizefitsall versus working with states and localities and tribes to do what works across the country. Mr. Zinke i would characterize the view from the potomac as a lot different than from the missouri. You do need to listen to local folks. They live there. The consequence of an action that is onesizefitsall affects real people. I think you need to have a voice, you need to listen, and you make sure that you involve the communities at the lowest level. Again, some cases, we have a lot of blm assets, i know a lot of rangers. There is a lot of frustration on the front lines, too. They dont feel they are empowered to make the decisions. Their kids go to the same schools but when they do not have the power or the flexibility or resources to make the decisions, everything is five layers above, that is part of what we face. We have to reincentivize the line, remove the middle management, and get them out where they are necessary. That is the front line. That is from basic 101, from being a seal, if your frontline is not happy, the chiefs, the sergeant, then the rest of the force is not doing well either. In this case, the front line of blm and the park Service Needs<\/a> to be shored up, with the flexibility to make the right call. Senator hoeven thank you, congressman. Senator murkowski next we will turn to senator sanders. I would advise committee members, we have always operated under the earlybird rule. Perhaps there has been some discussion about what really counts as earlybird, but im going by what the clerk has observed when members came in. Senator sanders will go next and he will be followed by sen. Gardner. Senator sanders thank you, madam chair. Congressman zinke, thank you for your willingness to serve. I have three areas i want to touch on. President elect trump has suggested more than suggested, stated in his view that Climate Change<\/a> is a hoax. I know you are not here to be administrator of the epa or secretary of energy, but the issue of Climate Change<\/a> is very important, an issue that the department of interior deals with. Is president elect trump right, is Climate Change<\/a> a hoax . Mr. Zinke the best answer is three things. First of all, the climate is changing. That is indisputable. I am from glacier National Park<\/a>. Senator sanders you dont have any more glaciers there. Mr. Zinke i have seen glaciers from my time receipt. In fact, when my family was eating lunch, the glaciers receded during lunch. Senator sanders if you could come it is the president elect right, is Climate Change<\/a> a hoax . Mr. Zinke two more points. The second is man has had an influence. That is undisputed as well. Climate is changing, mans influence. I think where there is the date is what that influence is, what can we do about it. As the department of interior, i will inherit, if confirmed, the usgs and we have great scientists there. I am not a climate scientist expert, but i can tell you i will become a lot more familiar with it, and it will be on objective science. I do not believe it is a hoax. Senator sanders you do not believe it is a hoax. Mr. Zinke i dont know definitively. There is a lot of debate on both sides of the aisle. Senator sanders actually there is not very much debate. The Scientific Community<\/a> is unanimous, Climate Change<\/a> is real and is causing devastating problems. There is a debate within this committee but not within the Scientific Community<\/a>. Next question, dealing with Climate Change<\/a>, if Climate Change<\/a> is already causing devastating problems, should we allow fossil fuel to be drilled on public lands . Mr. Zinke again, we need an economy and jobs, too. In my experience, i have seen 63 different countries. I have seen what happens when you do not have senator sanders i do not mean to be rude, but im taking your answer to be yes, we should allow fossil fuel to be drilled on public lands. Mr. Zinke i am all of the above energy. Senator sanders will you encourage wind and solar on public lands . Mr. Zinke absolutely. All of the above. I think that is a better solution, Going Forward<\/a>. Senator sanders some of my conservative friends believe that the day should come when we should privatize the National Park<\/a> system. What is your feeling on that . Mr. Zinke i want to be clear on this point. I am absolutely against transfer or sale of public land. Senator sanders good. That is a clear answer. Mr. Zinke cannot be any more clear. Senator sanders no, you cannot. I have had the opportunity to get around the country in the last year. I have met with many native american tribes. You discussed this issue. I think it is not debatable that throughout history, including today, the United States<\/a> government has treated the native American People<\/a> with disrespect, has ripped them off, has abrogated treaties, and right now we have in many native American Communities<\/a> and reservations People Living<\/a> in unbelievable poverty. Incredibly high unemployment rate, youth suicide, unspeakably high. Do you agree with that assertion, and if so, what do you propose to improve life for the native American People<\/a> throughout this country . Mr. Zinke i have Great Respect<\/a> for the indian nations. Montana has some of the great nations. The gentleman behind me is from the great crow nation. Three things. Sovereignty should mean something. When we say a nation is sovereign, it should have weight. Senator sanders stay on that, you are right. Sovereignty should mean something. What does that mean if you receive a nomination . Mr. Zinke from the perspective of a montana congressman, the paperwork, the bureaucracy within reservations far exceeds what is outside. Perhaps at one time we view the indian nations as almost children like where we had to manage every aspect of their affairs, and it has affected their ability for selfdetermination. Senator sanders i agree with you. Also, health care and education are Serious Problems<\/a> on many reservations. Will you take a hard look at those issues and try to improve the quality of health care and education for the native American People<\/a> . Mr. Zinke yes, i will. I take it seriously. I have been to lame deer. As bad as the v. A. Is senator sanders some of us do not accept that. Mr. Zinke Indian Health<\/a> in montana is worse. Let me repeat that. It is worse. When you have individuals that need care, and you only have a few doctors, and they dont see the doctor and the next day they come back and they dont see the doctor senator sanders an issue that you will address . Good, ok, thank you. Senator murkowski senator gardner. Thank you for being here today and your commitment to the nation. I was pleased to hear your comments to senator cantwell regarding making the land water Conservation Fund<\/a> permanent. I believe this is the most important Conservation Program<\/a> in this country. Every state has been touched, every state has had iconic landscapes preserved by lwcf. The Outdoor Recreation<\/a> economy in colorado is about 13. 2 billion in economic impact, creating over 125,000 jobs in our state. Lwcf is an important part of that. Will you work with congress to make a permanent . Mr. Zinke you have my full commitment. All three of the montana delegation voted in favor of it. It is an important program, especially in the west. In montana, it is particularly important with public access. The checkerboard system out west has made it difficult to sometimes the transit between Forest Service<\/a> and blm, you need a bridge to go between the two. The lwcf has been important in that. I would support that. Senator gardner i have always told coloradans, what we need is more colorado in washington and less washington in colorado. Perhaps we can sure some agencies like the blm of potomac fever by moving them out of washington . For example, if you look at the numbers, the bureau of Land Management<\/a> administers over roughly 248. 2 million acres of public land. Most are located west of the mississippi river. That is over 99 of blm lands located out west. No question, having some headquarters at west would, i think, vastly improve and result in better policies for ranchers, landowners, energy producers, constituents who enjoy these lands. Blm planning 2. 0 is a great example of how Little Washington<\/a> understands about the west and how bureaucrats get in the way of how things work, and the onesizefitsall approach has failed public policy. Do you believe in the notion of putting our federal workforce, portions of it, that specialize in public lands initiative, closer to the lands and the people they affect . Mr. Zinke i think they should be closer to the land. In some instances in utah, where you have 62 blm, you can look at different management schemes on it. The department of ag has to programs, a lot of tools that we can use. I think the bottom line is, the decisions often times are better at the frontline if you empower your people to do it. There is a saying in the military, centralized direction, decentralized execution. That means we should hold true nepa, the values that we believe is a country we should uphold, public access, clean air, clean water. But how you execute daytoday operations sometimes, often times it is better if it is done on the front line. They live it every day. Senator gardner so your commitment working with agencies mr. Zinke i am looking at the organization across the board. We will look like in Department One<\/a> hundred years ago. I keep going back to roosevelt because im a great admirer, but i think he did a lot of things right. 100 years ago, roosevelt decided to take a bold move, and it was not particularly supported at the time, not by all parties. But he did do a lot which we live in the legacy of roosevelt today. I think we have to be bold and look at what the department of interior should look like 100 years from now to better manage the problems we have coming, and there are a lot of problems. Recreation will be a bigger piece. They are not making any more land. We need to make sure that what we are doing is appropriate, we need to make sure clean air, clean water, those types of wings. So my daughters children can look back and say we did it right. Senator gardner final question in a time remaining is this. If you go into the Colorado State<\/a> capitol, there is a saying where it says here is a land where the history is written in water. All water flows out of the state. That is an incredibly important part of who we are as a state. I would like your commitment today to protect the private water rights when it comes to our water rights system, understanding federal overreach into water is dangerous for me individual water right holders, but also to continue to work on permits and water storage projects as we work along with Water Conservation<\/a>, the need to store more water in the west is real. We need help protecting water right from the government but also being able to store more water for the future enjoyment and growth of the midwest. Mr. Zinke no doubt water today is a commodity and will be more important tomorrow. There is a setting in montana, whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting. Water is incredibly important across the west and every state. Even michigan, with the recent thing. Part of the infrastructure bill, we will have to look at water storage, look at better ways to use water, have some of our aquifers are at risk. If you are in the ag community, recreation community, the water is an issue. Tomorrow it will be a bigger issue, unless we invest in the infrastructures and policies that make sense for tomorrow. Senator murkowski sen. Heinrich is followed by senator alexander. Sen. Heinrich you said earlier, you oppose selling off public lands, turning them over to the states. However, on the opening day of the 115th congress, you voted for a house rule that makes it easier to give away our public lands based on the idea that those lands have no financial value, no score. How do you square the two things . Mr. Zinke the no vote was a rule vote in the house, one of many rules. I would characterize it as, it was an indicator of how upset people are about our land policy at the moment. Particularly if you were in utah, nevada, wyoming, colorado. People are upset. Idaho. Montana. But it has no way, unless it is executed. I think it is a shot across the bow that we have to do something. I started out my remarks by saying my number one is trust. I have to go out there and restore trust. The reason why one of the reasons why people want to sell or transfer public lands is there is no trust. They feel they do not have a voice. They feel they dont matter. They should matter. Sen. Heinrich and that was part of a bigger package, would you support it . Mr. Zinke i would not. Ive voted 17 times for lwcf. Sen. Heinrich good answer. You mentioned you are a Teddy Roosevelt<\/a> fan. He signed the Antiquities Act<\/a>. 18 states have new National Monuments<\/a> established in the past six years. In my home state of new mexico, we had two new monuments that have already proven to be incredibly popular with local communities and which are already driving Economic Growth<\/a> for local businesses. Frankly, my navajo and pueblo constituents are also very supportive of the new National Monument<\/a> because it protects some of the most sacred sites in their historical homeland. I have letters here from business owners, sportsmen, faith leaders, county commissioners, veterans in new mexico asking for your support for the Rio Grande Del Norte<\/a> and desert peaks. I would ask that these be submitted for the record. The Antiquities Act<\/a> is the law of the land in communities in new mexico are already in the process of developing management plans for those monuments or. Will you commit to working in good faith with these gateway communities am including tribal communities, to make sure these monuments are a success, or even to make sure that these monuments are great . Mr. Zinke i will absolutely commit to working with you. There are some that are more controversial than others. A monument, when it falls in a state, i think the state should have a say on it. I have always considered monuments, as i drive across montana, a pretty big state, generally when you see a monument, i always envision it as a battlefield, location that deserves special recognition. Larger monuments that are millions of acres that do not have the support of the community there is no doubt the president has the authority to amend a monument. It is always in the papers. It will be interesting to see if the president has the authority to nullify a monument. Certainly, my counsel senator heinrich what is your view on that . Mr. Zinke legally, it is untested. What i would prefer is working in a collaborative effort with the states. If the states like their monuments we have been in the state of maine that the state is comfortable with it as it is, and they have a management plan, we should work with the state and be an advocate. If a state is upset about a monument, they have a plan that is different from what was done, then we should defer a lot of that to the state. Senator heinrich can you point to a sentence within the Antiquities Act<\/a> that authorizes rescinding the monument . I am not an attorney, i got. Senator heinrich that makes two of us. I would think that the president would nullify and it would be challenged. The court determine whether or not the Legal Framework<\/a> allows it or not. I would hope that the right path is that we would work with the states. I think we have all benefit from a lot of our monument. Certainly in montana, the battlefield of little big horn has been enormously important to the state of montana. They are very happy with it although it needs work. Senator alexander. Senator alexander thank you chairman. I look forward to supporting you. I think you have a chance to be a terrific secretary of the interior. President reagan asked me to head up a president s commission on americans outdoors. Worked on it for two years looking ahead for a generation to see what our Outdoor Recreation<\/a> activities should be. The main conclusion i came to was that there should be one policy for the west and one for the east. There is some any differences. This committee is filled with westerners. Let me give you an eastern perspective from my side. We dont have much federal land in tennessee and north carolina. We like what we have. One area that i would ask you, in the newspaper today, the National Park<\/a> services established a panel to review the devastating chimney tops fire we had in the Smoky Mountains<\/a> National Park<\/a> so that we can learn from it. It is unexpected for us, we are not used to that. We have 80 inches of rain every year. This fire started on chimney tops and a hurricane blew it and it burned up half of cap bloomberg. Could we see if there are any lessons to be learned . Rep. Zinke ive been there, it is a wonderful place. I am willing to work with you to see what the best pass path is for that so it will happen again. Im impressed with the heroism of those who responded. But they want to know what they can do better. The difference between the smokies and yellowstone and your territory is that that land was already owned by the United States<\/a>. The smokies were bought by the people of tennessee and given to the National Park<\/a>. We have a lot more visitors because of the location. Twice as many as yellowstone. Which is such a prized place. And yet, our funding, our appropriation for yellowstone is twice the total for the smokies. Because of the restrictions that established when people give to the federal government, we cannot charge a fee. Will you take a careful look at the allocation of the funding between the smokies and the other parks to make sure that our most visited National Park<\/a> at its share of funding gets its share of funding . Rep. Zinke yes, we need to look in the formula. The smokies are different than the National Park<\/a>s. We are hoping we can take a big bite out of deferred maintenance on infrastructure. There is a number of roads and facilities and that. We can do better. It will take this committees guidance. My last question has to do with the recommendations with the commission on the americans outdoors, 30 years ago. I hope youll count me in along with other senators here in wanting to help you help to find a way to permanently authorize that. It makes a lot of sense to take money from oil and gas expiration and use it for a benefit for the environment. The problem is, we have a 20 billion backlog that we havent appropriated. It is important to do that. We have found that 30 years ago, 80 of most Outdoor Recreation<\/a> occurs near where we live. About 80 of us live near city parks. That is the importance of the land and water Conservation Fund<\/a>. Another important set of recommendations had to do with land trust, greenways and scenic biways. Will you take this opportunity to look ahead another generation and ask the question what Outdoor Recreation<\/a> opportunities will our children and grandchildren have . This is the 30th anniversary of that report. A generation has passed and it is time for the next look. Rep. Zinke this brings us to the small point of the next generation of millennials. We have to incentivize Outdoor Activities<\/a> to teach our millennials the importance of the Great Outdoors<\/a>. If you look at the numbers, the demographics are different. The people visiting the parks are the older generation. We have to look at new ways of incentivizing younger millennials to experience the parks, to experience the outdoors, to teach them the value of our public lands. How do we get our kids out there and enjoy the Great Outdoors<\/a> . I would argue that it is better than being in front of the tv or playing video games. Congressman, welcome, in 2013, mr. Trump tweeted on the issue of military Sexual Assault<\/a> by blaming the women who served and he said in his tweet, 26,000 unreported Sexual Assault<\/a>s in the military. Convictions. What do you expect when you put men and women together . Later in 2016, he said it is a correct tweet and it are many people think that is absolutely correct. Following that commander in chief tweet, you put out a statement of praise for mr. Trump and at no point did you call him out on that tweet. At appointed to call on him to apologize for that tweet. I wonder, as someone who is about to take charge of the major federal agency, it was extremely rugged conditions, i wonder what that says to the employees of our natural park service. You defended the president elects bragging about his own commitment of Sexual Assault<\/a>. By dismissing it as locker room talk. If confirmed, how can we be sure that you just wont look the other way in dealing with this issue of Sexual Assault<\/a> at the National Park<\/a> service . Like you did with your boss the president elect . Rep. Zinke thank you for the question, i take issues of Sexual Assault<\/a> very seriously. Had he had a conversation with the president elect about the statement . Rep. Zinke no, i have not. I have had conversations about the park service. There are problems in the park service. There are problems of Sexual Harassment<\/a>. There are problems of morale. If you look at the park service, who wouldnt want to be a ranger . Historically, it has been one of the top positions as far as employee satisfaction. Today, they rank at the bottom of. Something is going on. Whether it is Sexual Harassment<\/a>, whether they feel they dont have the flexibility to make decisions, whether they feel there are a lot of reasons, i have to get to the bottom of it. It is the front line. You have served and thank you for your service. Youhave served and understand that if morale is bad at the frontline. It makes sure that Mission Success<\/a> is not going to happen. Sexual harassment is part of what is killing morale. Im going to go out on the frontline and talk and listen to what is happening to read one is on the Sexual Harassment<\/a> issue. They have to know from leadership, from the top and the bottom, we have zero tolerance. can youuckworth describe what you will do beyond listening . What type of policies would you put into place . You have a history of being willing to participate in gimmicks. In fact, you cowrote legislation to require women to register for the draft despite not supporting it yourself because you wanted to send a gimmicky message that actually backfire on you. That bill actually passed. They had to come to your rescue and pull that out of the conference report on the ndaa. I am concerned. You yourself have a history of saying that women who serve in combat provide a distraction and it weakens the force. In that debate, i was there that night, i think we were there until after 3 00 a. M. You said that the enemy doesnt recognize men and women in uniform. They recognize weaknesses. By talking about men and women serving together in combat, men and women serve in very rugged conditions in the National Park<\/a> service. I just worry, with a history of being willing to participate in called a reckless piece of legislation, this gimmicky bill, what are you going to do when you lead federal employees at the National Park<\/a> service. I think the topic of women serving the military and signing up for Selective Services<\/a> is not a gimmick. I would say that is the mischaracterization of the importance of the issue. Duckworth you did introduce a bill that you do not support. Rep. Zinke i think America Needs<\/a> to have that discussion. Every table around montana was talking about it. I dont think it was a gimmick to talk about an open discussion whether or not women to be part of the selective service. My daughter is a navy daughter and i have served in combat with women. Everyone has a role, as you know. Do think women serving at the front lines of the park service weakens that force . Rep. Zinke not at all. I think everyone should have the same respect. I think there is jobs that are different. Within the park service, i think there are women that assume every role. I think that is an opportunity that has been given to women long before im not sure when. A long time. I think we should be comfortable with that. I certainly am. The issue of gimmicks, i take offense. Selectivetion of service was a gimmick. I think it deserved our vote and a discussion. Senator lee. Senator lee thank you for our service to your country. We appreciate all you have done. I agree with what one of our colleagues said. The public land issues are often very different. When you ask people from different states, the reaction have might differ depending on what part of the country they come from. Those who are east of the mississippi are likely to be feel different than those west of the mississippi. There are a lot of reasons. One in particular is of this land at the federal government owns, we are talking about roughly 30 of the land mass in the United States<\/a>, the overwhelming majority of the federal land is in the western United States<\/a>. It affects many in the western United States<\/a> in a very real, very personal way. The poor and middle class bear the greatest burden. For this reason, the seemingly limitless power those under the Antiquities Act<\/a>, it is particularly troubling. To some of us with the stroke of the executive pen, the president of the United States<\/a> can up and communities. Can change traditional ways of life. Can change religious practices. Can lock up hundreds of thousands of acres of land. With one action, in some cases, over a million acres. To begin, i want to ask you the same question that i asked the person who would be your predecessor if you are confirmed. Sally jewell. Do you view local support as a precedent to the creation of a National Monument<\/a> under the into Antiquities Act<\/a> . Rep. Zinke i think it is critical to have state and local support on the monument that they participate in. In the case of salt lake or utah, im concerned about the schools and the funding mechanism that the schools are. It has been largely taken away, that is a concern. If you start at the local community level, the grassroots, and you build, theres participation, then we have a problem. You plan, planning prevents a lot of miscues and execution and part of the planning process is to go out, get community support, make sure your governor and elected leaders are behind you. Then talk to the president that makes the decision. Everyone should be on the same page or at least about on same page. Senator lee i encourage you to come to utah. The president designated 1. 5 3 3 million acres in southeast utah in san juan county, against the overwhelming opposition of san juan county. Against the opposition of our governor, all of our statewide elected officials. What you hear from them is please, mr. Secretary, do something about this. Would you consider visiting utah and talking to the people affected by this monument designation . And based on what you hear, consider having a conversation with President Trump<\/a> about revisiting this unfortunate misstep . Rep. Zinke thank you for the question, i am committed to restoring trust. I will go out to utah first and talk to the governor, the people on the ground, come back and make a recommendation to the president. I think that is important. I will be a very busy guy, i will go out there and the state of washington, i will go to alaska, i have committed to going to everywhere. This is going to be a deployment, i apologize to my wife in advance, i will be gone for a while. Senator lee i do want to say in closing that i appreciate your visiting me on this. There is nothing in the Antiquities Act<\/a> that prohibits revisiting this. Ill also point out that there is a distinction between talking about who should own and manage public land. On the other hand, suggesting that exxon mobil should set up a drilling rig under delicate arch. That is a strawman argument. Thank you madam chair, welcome. First, let me echo concerns that the senator said about in office harrasment. I hope that you will create a environment where victims can come forward without retaliation. Those are very serious things. Rep. Zinke you have my absolute commitment, i do take it seriously. The Work Environment<\/a> is incredible. There are 70,000 professional men and women in the department of interior. When you walk in the door on the in the morning, you should have the right expectation of a Work Environment<\/a> that is conducive to success. If there is a culture of Sexual Harassment<\/a>, that is flatout wrong. Im going to stamp it out. Confirmation hearings continue tomorrow with former governor rick perry testifying to become the next energy secretary. That starts live at 9 30 a. M. Eastern on cspan two. This weekend, cspans cities to her will explore the literary life and history of harrisburg, pennsylvania. The author of amiable scoundrel. He talks about the life of one of the most prominent political figures of the 19th century. People talk about the age of Andrew Jackson<\/a> but in many ways we should talk about the age of simon cameron. His political skills were undeniable. He built a political machine that lasted beyond any of those constructed by his contemporaries. And then on American History<\/a> tv, visit the site of the 1839 week convention. Whig convention as he explains the trickery that led to William Henry<\/a> harrison becoming the nominee. This is the first time there was more than one candidate being put forward for the nomination of the presidency of the United States<\/a>. And a pennsylvania capital historical takes us on a tour. There was only a 1520 year time 1520 year time when this would have been built in the commonwealth of pennsylvania. We still call it pennsylvanias palace of art. We were at the height of industry and capitalism. The cspan cities tour. Saturday at noon eastern. 2 00 on sunday on cspan3. Working with our cable affiliates and president obama held his last News Conference<\/a> as commander in chief today. That is next on cspan. Then, health and Human Services<\/a> nominee tom price takes questions from senators on capitol hill. Later, a roundtable discussion on the Affordable Care<\/a> act. President elect donald trump tweeting out today looking forward to a speedy recovery for george and barbara bush, both hospitalized. Here is part of the statement from the former president s office. Doctors performed the procedure to protect and clear his airway that wired sedation. President bush is stable and resting in the icu, where he will remain for observation. Additionally, mrs. Bush was admitted to the houston Methodist Hospital<\/a> this morning as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing. In other news, the Senate Armed Services<\/a> Committee Approved<\/a> retired general james mattis to be defense secretary today code6one. His nomination will be sent to the full senate for a vote. Now, president obama gives his final press conference. Plans,e about his future fridays inauguration of donald trump, and his decision to commute the sentence of chelsea manning","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia802907.us.archive.org\/29\/items\/CSPAN_20170118_232300_Ryan_Zinke_Says_He_Will_Address_Sexual_Assault_Allegations_at_Interior\/CSPAN_20170118_232300_Ryan_Zinke_Says_He_Will_Address_Sexual_Assault_Allegations_at_Interior.thumbs\/CSPAN_20170118_232300_Ryan_Zinke_Says_He_Will_Address_Sexual_Assault_Allegations_at_Interior_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240627T12:35:10+00:00"}