AFRICA/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A new U.S. advisory board created to help rewrite federal rules for importing the heads and hides of African elephants, lions and rhinos is stacked with trophy hunters, including some members with direct ties to President Donald Trump and his family. A review by The Associated Press of the backgrounds and […]
Category: Ryan Zinke
3/13/2018
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke defended himself at a Senate hearing Tuesday [3-13-18] morning over reports about his use of private charter flights, calling them ‘insults’ and ‘innuendos’ that are ‘misleading.’ He told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that he has taken three such flights, but did not include in his […]
3/8/2018
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The doors to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s office are getting a nearly $139,000 upgrade. The Interior Department confirmed the project Thursday [3-8-18], saying it is both necessary to replace old doors that are in ‘disrepair’ and attributing the high cost to the historical nature of the building. News of the $138,670 contract comes […]
3/6/2018
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The federal government has quietly said it will consider big game trophy imports on a ‘case-by-basis,’ deciding an issue that split President Donald Trump and his Interior Department. In November, Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service, under Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, announced it would remove some Obama-era restrictions on importing trophies […]
3/2/2018
INTERIOR/POLITICAL FIGURES/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Even before President Trump officially opened his high-profile review last spring of federal lands protected as national monuments, the Department of Interior was focused on the potential for oil and gas exploration at a protected Utah site, internal agency documents show. The debate started as early as March 2017, when […]
2/27/2018
2A/ETHICS/GUNS/INTERIOR/NRA/RYAN ZINKE: “In September, women gun owners and enthusiasts from the National Rifle Association headed to a plush Four Seasons resort in Texas for an annual retreat and clay shooting at the Dallas Gun Club with one of the weekend’s headliners: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke… The meeting appears on the secretary’s official schedule as an […]
2/1/2018
INTERIOR/LOBBYING/RYAN ZINKE: “Two casino-owning American Indian tribes are accusing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke of illegally blocking their plans to expand operations in Connecticut — a delay that stands to benefit politically connected gambling giant MGM Resorts International. The Interior Department’s refusal to sign off on the tribes’ plans for a third Connecticut casino came after […]
1/17/2018
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The Department of Interior is rebutting concerns cited by members of the National Park System Advisory Board who quit on Tuesday [1-16-18]. ‘It is patently false to say the Department had not engaged the board when as recently as January 8 we were working with the board to renew their charter, schedule a […]
1/17/2018
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Three-quarters of the seats on the U.S. National Park Service advisory board are vacant following a mass resignation Monday [1-15-18] night, citing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s unwillingness to meet with them. Nine of the panel’s 12 members, led by former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, handed in their resignations. The bipartisan panel was appointed […]
1/10/2018
INTERIOR/OIL/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Several more governors are asking the Trump administration to pare back plans for one of the largest offshore-drilling expansions in history, adding to pressure that has already led officials to exempt Florida from the plan. The governors of North and South Carolina have requested their own meetings with Interior Secretary Ryan […]
1/9/2018
INTERIOR/OIL/RYAN ZINKE: “Trump administration officials are looking to rally support among members of Congress and state-level officials for a plan to expand offshore drilling in waters along the U.S. coast. Some of their toughest customers will be in their own party. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, leading a sales pitch expected to last at least 18 […]
1/9/2018
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration told Florida’s governor it won’t consider new oil and gas drilling off the state’s coast, backtracking on plans to expand offshore drilling all around the U.S. and bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans in the state. The move is a crack in a five-year drilling plan the Interior […]
1/4/2018
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration wants to open up nearly all the country’s offshore areas for oil drilling, leasing areas off places like Florida and California for the first time in decades, and reversing an Obama-era policy. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced Thursday [1-4-18] that his department is planning the largest […]
12/22/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s former PAC blamed a technical glitch for a nearly $200,000 discrepancy in its campaign finance reports and said it is working to fix problems identified by the FEC. SEAL PAC told the FEC on Friday [12-22-17] that faulty software led it to report having more cash on hand at […]
12/14/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke revealed today he has fired four senior managers at the Interior Department for inappropriate conduct, including sexual harassment… Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said in an email the department could not provide any specific information on the people who were fired but said they generally ‘abused their authority to intimidate […]
12/7/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent more than $14,000 on government helicopters this summer to take himself and staff to and from official events near Washington, D.C., in order to accommodate his attendance at a swearing-in ceremony for his replacement in Congress and a horseback ride with Vice President Mike Pence, according to previously […]
11/20/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s wife has frustrated department staffers by saddling them with extra work when she traveled with her husband on official business, according to new records that a liberal watchdog group says uncover the potential misuse of government resources. The records document Lola Zinke’s last-minute requests to join high-level dinners and […]
11/17/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Friday [11-17-17] reversed the government’s decision to start allowing hunters to import trophies of elephants that were killed in two African countries, pending a further review. His evening Twitter message reversed a decision by his own administration over Zimbabwe that was announced this week and promoted as recently […]
11/17/2017
RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Nov. 17, 2017 07:47pm […]
11/16/2017
INTERIOR/LEGAL/RYAN ZINKE: “The U.S. Interior Department has failed to provide documentation needed for an internal probe of Secretary Ryan Zinke’s travels, the department’s inspector general said on Thursday. ‘Our investigation has been delayed by absent, or incomplete documentation for several pertinent trips,’ Mary Kendall, the department’s deputy inspector general, said in a letter sent this […]
10/25/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The National Park Service proposes more than doubling the entrance fees at 17 popular national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, to help pay for infrastructure improvements. Under the agency’s proposal, the entrance fee for a private vehicle would jump to $70 during peak season, from its current rate of $25 to […]
10/24/2017
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has directed millions of dollars in political contributions since 2014 to a network of Washington operatives that prominent conservatives have accused of profiting by misleading donors… The details about Zinke’s fundraising and spending practices have not been previously reported, nor has his years-long relationship with Mackenzie’s Virgin […]
10/5/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The head of the U.S. Department of the Interior came under further scrutiny on Thursday [10-5-17] amid a media report that he had attended a Republican fundraiser in March during a government trip to the Caribbean. Politico, citing department travel records and other documents, said Ryan Zinke attended a Virgin Islands […]
10/3/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is investigating whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke broke the law when he gave a speech to a professional hockey team owned by a political donor in June, the agency said on Tuesday. Zinke is already being investigated by the Interior Department’s inspector general in connection […]
10/2/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The Interior Department’s inspector general’s office has opened an investigation into Secretary Ryan Zinke’s use of taxpayer-funded charter planes, a spokeswoman said Monday [10-2-17]. The watchdog has ‘received numerous complaints’ and launched its investigation late last week, said Nancy K. DiPaolo, spokeswoman for Interior’s Office of the Inspector General. Zinke is one of […]
9/28/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his aides have taken several flights on private or military aircraft, including a $12,000 charter plane to take him to events in his hometown in Montana and private flights between two Caribbean islands, according to documents and a department spokeswoman. Zinke is at least the fourth senior member […]
9/21/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “…[T]he Northeast Canyons and Seamounts could reopen to commercial fishing if President Donald Trump enacts the recent recommendations of his Interior Secretary to reduce protections of land and sea preserves known as national monuments… Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose department manages federal lands, is making major moves to open up protected […]
9/17/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended cutbacks or other changes to nearly half the geographic national monuments he recently reviewed at the request of President Donald Trump, according to a report sent to the White House and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The report recommends reducing the boundaries of the […]
8/30/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The Interior Department’s inspector general said it dropped a probe into a reported threat by the agency’s head, Ryan Zinke, to Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to harm her state over her opposition to her party’s efforts to repeal Obamacare. In a letter on Tuesday to two congressmen who called for the […]
8/24/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says he is recommending changes to national monuments—vast nature reserves set aside by previous administrations—which could mean reducing the size of some of those protected federal lands. The Interior Department didn’t release a detailed account of Mr. Zinke’s suggested changes, but any reductions would likely launch a […]
8/24/2017
INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said on Thursday [8-24-17] he has sent recommendations from his review of more than two dozen national monuments to President Donald Trump, indicating that some could be scaled back to allow for more hunting and fishing and economic development. The recommendations follow a 120-day study of […]
8/7/2017
INTERIOR/OBAMA/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has ordered his agencies to begin implementing a revised management plan to protect the greater sage grouse, a move that could undo some protections created under the Obama administration. Among other things, the recommendations compiled by an Interior task force at Mr. Zinke’s request call for potential loosening of […]
8/4/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The Interior Department’s inspector general said it would investigate a reported threat by the agency’s head, Ryan Zinke, against Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski’s state of Alaska last week over her opposition to her party’s efforts to repeal Obamacare. Zinke called Murkowski and Alaska’s other U.S. senator, Republican Dan Sullivan, on July 26, the […]
8/1/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “The recalcitrant senator kept crossing up the inexperienced new president on big-ticket legislation even though they represented the same party. Frustrated and angry, the White House fought back, threatening retaliation both petty and portentous, eyeing federal jobs and programs in the state of the rebellious lawmaker to force obedience. While […]
7/27/2017
DEMS/ETHICS/INTELLIGENCE/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee said Thursday [7-27-17] he will request a formal investigation into whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke threatened projects important to Alaska in retribution for Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s vote against health care legislation. Zinke called Murkowski and fellow Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan Wednesday afternoon — a […]
6/21/2017
BUDGET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday [6-20-17] defended the $1.6 billion in funding cuts that President Trump has proposed for his department, telling a Senate hearing that ‘this is what a balanced budget looks like.’ But Democrats on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources took issue with the $400 million that […]
6/12/2017
CABINET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday proposed significantly scaling back the borders of a national monument in southeastern Utah, in a legally unprecedented move that opponents say violates a century-old law signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. Bears Ears National Monument is a 1.3-million-acre conservation area that was designated by President Barack Obama […]
6/12/2017
CABINET/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke informed President Donald Trump on Monday [6-12-17] that he was delaying his decision on the controversial Bears Ears National Monument, putting off the final decision until later in 2017. In a memo to the President, Zinke says he has produced at ’45-day interim report’ on the national monument […]
5/10/2017
CABINET/CLIMATE CHANGE/INTERIOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “Four U.S. states have sued Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, the Interior Department and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to block new leases of public lands for coal mining, according to papers filed on Tuesday in Montana federal court. State prosecutors for California, New Mexico, New York and Washington are arguing […]
4/26/2017
INTERIOR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “President Donald Trump is set to order the review of tens of millions of acres of land and water set aside as national monuments by the past three presidents on Wednesday, a move that environmental groups warn will undermine a crucial conservation tool and open up sensitive areas to fossil […]