Trump’s Interior Pick, David Bernhardt, Confirmed by Senate

The U.S. Senate voted 56-41 on April 11 to confirm David Bernhardt as Secretary of the Interior. President Trump’s pick for the position has been acting secretary since Jan. 2, following Ryan Zinke’s resignation amid multiple ethics probes. He served as the department’s top lawyer under President George W. Bush and worked as a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry.

Senators voted largely along party lines in favor of Bernhardt’s confirmation. Environmental groups and leading Democrats have raised concerns about Bernhardt over potential conflicts of interest related to his previous activities as well as the way he has been spending his time at the agency since joining in 2017.

The 70,000 strong Department of the Interior manages 500 million acres of public lands, subsurface rights, and offshore areas that produce approximately 19 percent of the nation’s energy, including 16 percent of natural gas, 24 percent of oil, and 43 percent of coal. Federal lands also host projects that account for a significant portion of the country’s renewable energy generating capacity, including 15 percent of hydropower, 7 percent of windpower, 48 percent of geothermal energy, and 33 percent of solar energy, according to the department.