February 27, 2017

Wyden Votes “Present” on Zinke Procedural Vote

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after voting “present” on a Senate procedural vote tonight that begins debate on the nomination of Rep. Ryan Zinke to be the next secretary of the Department of the Interior.

“Congressman Zinke and I have had several discussions about forestry – especially about how to get the harvest up in a sustainable way, create jobs in rural America and protect our special places,” Wyden said.

“Yet so far, it has proven impossible to get even a twig of information about his intentions for Oregon’s O&C forests. Oregonians deserve to have this information before a final vote on the Congressman’s nomination to be the next secretary of the Interior.”

Wyden abstained from voting during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s vote on Jan. 31 because of news reports that indicated Zinke was interested in transferring federal forest management from the U.S. Forest Service to the Interior Department.

The confirmation vote is expected later this week.