"Zinke Heads Toward Confirmation As Interior Secretary"

"WASHINGTON — Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke is headed toward confirmation as President Donald Trump's Interior secretary, responsible for more than 400 million acres of public land, mostly in the West.

The Republican-controlled Senate has scheduled a vote on the nomination Wednesday morning.

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."

Matthew Daly reports for the Associated Press March 1, 2017.