Irony abounds at confirmation hearing

Montana's lone Congressman, Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., who is President Trump's nominee to be the next Secretary of the Interior, was sautéed (fried quickly in hot oil) for four hours on Jan. 17 by the U. S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Zinke, a former U. S. Navy Seal Commander, was introduced by Montana's two senators, one a Republican and the other a Democrat, who took pains to emphasize that the nominee was a fine fellow, a great hero and a consummate fighter, who would be an excellent Secretary.

During Zinke's opening comments and subsequent interrogation, he emphasized several points which are bound to endear him to the committee and ensure his easy confirmation by the full Senate. In scoring his hearing, it can be said that he scored no pop flies, no home runs, a few singles and a lot of walks.

It was very important to Sens. Sanders, D-Vt., and Franken, D-Minn., that Rep. Zinke did not believe that global warming was a hoax. Sens. Duckworth, D-Ill., Stabenow, D-Mich., and Hirono, D-Hawaii, all are very anxious to get his commitment that he would address the ongoing problem of sexual harassment within the National Park Service. He promised "zero tolerance."

As a hunter, he assured the committee that he would be protective and supportive of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He expressed extreme frustration about the risk that public lands might be closed to fishing and hunting. This, in no small part, was a nod to Sen. King, I-Maine, whose constituents fear being barred from harvesting clams in Maine's Arcadia National Park.

As a veteran, Mr. Zinke acknowledged several times his awareness that bureaucracy can be frustrating and suggested that the Navy model of deciding centrally and executing locally was a better way of getting to the right result. He pointed out that the government employees who are charged with making things work must live with the people who are confronted with the result, and that outcomes can be a win-win for everyone, if decisions are made collaboratively.

As an adopted Assiniboine, Rep. Zinke exhibited a depth of knowledge about Native American issues and especially the Bureau of Indian Affairs' problems with education and Native health care. He said repeatedly that tribal sovereignty should mean something and that treaty obligations should be honored.

When it came to the occasional fast ball that was thrown his way, such as whether the establishment of National Monuments by one president could be revoked by another, he deferred to the courts. On the question of water rights throughout the west, he said he was committed to ensuring that disputes are resolved fairly. When it came to the wild horses and burros crisis, he was quite clear in his opposition to letting the critters starve.

As for questions from Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who laid out the full panoply of Alaska issues for the record, Mr. Zinke was quite gracious, acknowledging that Alaska is different.

The most controversial position that the designee announced was his opposition to the devolution of federal lands to the states, except perhaps in the case of Alaska where the State, the Native community and some veterans still had unfulfilled entitlements. Apparently he is unaware that the location of federal mining claims is perhaps the last vestige of the erstwhile commitment of the United States to develop acquired land. In a word, although he has no conceptual problem with delegating some land management functions to local federal employees, in his view, there should be no transfer of title to third parties or even the host states.

Mr. Zinke spoke of oil and gas gingerly and was not challenged on his views. He acknowledged the existence of mining on federal lands pretty much as an "outsider' to the topic. If the designee has any appreciation of the role that metal mining occupies in the economy of the United States, he didn't disclose it. If he has any commitment to federalism, he kept it close to his chest. If he has any sense as to the antipathy that many Alaskans feel toward the petty tyrants posing as federal land managers, he barely mentioned it. To his credit, he did suggest that Smoky Bear should be loved and not feared, but that light-hearted metaphor was not central to his case for confirmation.

Congressman Zinke appears to lack depth on Alaska issues, especially vis-à-vis the perceived arrogance of the Beltway. He has pledged to visit virtually every place in the world that the department has an interest, even Alaska. We can only hope and pray that when he does, he will take the time to learn about our state, visit a few of our mines, meet with those who recover gold and copper and zinc and coal here and perhaps come to realize that his agency's producer-tenants are contributing substantially to the security and the economy of the nation.

Upon confirmation, Zinke will take his place in a long line of westerners who have led the "Department of Everything Else" down a poorly marked trail into the misty gloom. Someone should mention to him that being the landlord of roughly 30 percent of the nation's land, one fifth of which is in Alaska, will not be just a walk in the park. We sincerely wish the secretary designate well; we hope for the best, but candidly, until we get to know him a little better, we must fear the worst.