WASHINGTON (March 1, 2017) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council today hailed the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Ryan Zinke to be the next U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
“This is great news for America’s ranchers and cattle producers,” NCBA President Craig Uden said. “Ryan Zinke has an outstanding record advocating for Western communities and ranchers, and for the real inclusion of stakeholders’ voices in the decisions that affect them. We look forward to working with Secretary Zinke to restore common sense and balance on issues like public lands management, conservation, and endangered species.”
PLC President Dave Eliason said having a Secretary of Interior who understands public lands and who values true cooperation with stakeholders is in the best interest of all Americans.
“Secretary Zinke is from the West and understands the unique challenges faced by communities with a large federal footprint,” Eliason said. “We look forward to working with him and his staff at the Department of the Interior to restore the role of local input in planning and review processes, fix laws like the Endangered Species Act, and protect grazing rights that are so critical to western economies.”
Western ranchers own approximately 120 million acres of the most productive private land in the West and manage nearly 250 million acres of public land. Ranchers who hold grazing permits on public land do vital work that benefits public land including the improvement of water sources, improvement of wildlife habitat, and maintaining the open space that Americans enjoy, yet are often targeted by outside interest groups.