Sen. Lamar Alexander on Wednesday released the following statement on his vote to confirm Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mt.) to serve as U.S. Secretary of the Interior:
"Tennessee is home to more than 400,000 acres of land managed by the Department of the Interior and the most visited national park in the country. Rep. Zinke shares my commitment to public lands and recreational access, and I look forward to working with him to preserve and protect the Great American Outdoors so future generations will have the same opportunity that we have to enjoy them.”
At Rep.
Zinke's confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Jan. 17, Sen. Alexander received a commitment from Rep. Zinke to complete the review of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's response to the Sevier County wildfires as quickly as possible. Rep. Zinke also agreed to take a careful look at the allocation of federal funding that is given to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to help make sure the Smokies – which is the nation's most visited national park but is unable to collect entrance fees like many western parks - gets its fair share of funding.
Sen. Alexander serves as a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, which funds the Department of the Interior, and is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.