President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Republican Montana congressman Ryan Zinke for interior secretary, according to a senior transition official. Zinke, who represented Montana’s congressional seat for one term, will head the Interior Department which employs more than 70,000 people. Zinke's nomination came after Trump thought of picking U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state. He is a supporter of keeping public lands under federal ownership, which members of his party strictly oppose. It remains unclear where Zinke stands on using federal lands for drilling and mining, something Trump pledged to do as president.
