Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke is scheduled for Senate confirmation hearings this week to be Secretary of the Interior under the Trump Administration. Both the Public Lands Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association are backing Zinke. PLC Executive Director Ethan Lane says Zinke has been good to work with in the past and understands agriculture and land management issues well.

He says being from Montana, Zinke understands the benefits ranchers bring to management and preservation of public lands.

Lane says Zinke also would bring a common-sense approach to dealing with monument designations and executive orders.

Meanwhile, NCBA President Tracy Brunner says Zinke has demanded transparency and the inclusion of stakeholders when it comes to land management decisions.