Zinke was confirmed with 68 votes, 17 of which were Democratic. Republican senator Johnny Isakson did not vote.
The former Navy SEAL was the second nominee to Trump’s cabinet to be confirmed this week, after Wilbur Ross was voted to head the Commerce Department on Monday.
Also Wednesday, the Senate advanced the nomination of former presidential candidate Ben Carson to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The upper chamber voted to end debate on his nomination 62-37, setting him up for a final vote expected later this week.
More from the Associated Press:
Zinke, a Republican in his second term as Montana’s sole House member, told senators at a January hearing that federal land management should be done under a “multiple-use” model that allows hiking, hunting, fishing and camping along with harvesting timber, mining for coal and drilling for oil and natural gas. Zinke also pledged to tackle an estimated $12 billion backlog in maintenance and repair at national parks and stand firm against attempts to sell, give away or transfer federal lands. Zinke, 55, a former Navy SEAL and Montana state senator, resigned as a delegate to the Republican National Convention last year to protest the GOP’s position in favor of land transfers to state or private groups. Still, his stance on public lands has come into question in recent weeks after he voted in favor of a House rule that would allow federal land transfers to be considered cost-free and budget-neutral, making it easier for drilling and development.
