For me, from day one it was obvious that Ryan Zinke was un-ethical, a lackey for the extraction industry and most troubling he was a poser of an outdoor sportsman.
Zinke is gone now, his damage is done and he can get on with his true calling of working to line his pockets and the pockets of the CEO’s of extraction industry companies.
Good riddance Ryan, don’t let the barn door hit your glue pot painted pony in the arse on the way out.
Here is a short list reminder of what we got with Zinke.
And let’s not forget the investigations:
Halliburton
In June, the Interior Department’s inspector general opened an investigation into whether conversations Mr. Zinke had with David J. Lesar, the chairman of Halliburton, about a Montana land deal constituted a conflict of interest.
The examination of “involvement in and use of taxpayer resources to advance land developments” focuses on whether taxpayer money was improperly spent on Mr. Zinke’s travel when he met with Halliburton representatives.
Casino Lobbying
Another inspector general inquiry involves Mr. Zinke’s decision last year to block a proposal from two Connecticut Native American tribes to expand a casino operation. That decision was made against the advice from experts at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and after meetings and phone calls with lobbyists from the casino giant MGM Resorts, which has opposed the tribes’ casino.
Hatch Act Violations
Mr. Zinke over the past year has faced a handful of accusations that he violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their offices to influence elections. The most serious involves Mr. Zinke’s announcement at a January news conference with Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, that the state would be “off the table” and exempt from the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore drilling.
Travel Policies
In early October, the Interior Department inspector general found that Mr. Zinke violated agency policy when his wife traveled with him in government vehicles.
Agency Investigations
Other investigations of management practices at the Interior Department under Mr. Zinke, but not specific to his personal conduct, include an investigation into a National Park Service report that deleted all mention of human-caused climate change; an Interior Department payment of $139,000 to fix doors in Mr. Zinke’s office; and an Office of Special Counsel inquiry into whether Joel Clement, a former Interior Department official, was reassigned in retaliation for criticism of Mr. Zinke.
Stalled and Closed Investigations
Investigation into whether he improperly excluded a Utah state lawmaker’s land from the new boundaries of a national monument.
The most notable was about whether he threatened Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, over her vote last year against a health care overhaul.
An examination into Mr. Zinke’s decision to block a $1 million coal mining study.
Gave a speech to a Las Vegas professional hockey team called the Golden Knights. The team was owned by someone who donated to Mr. Zinke’s campaign when he was a Montana congressman.
Investigation into several of his trips between March and October 2017 that mixed official business with political events, including one to the Virgin Islands to attend a political fund-raiser.
When the DJT administration puts the next extraction industry lackey in place of Zinke, sportsmen and women must continue to fightback. Call your Congressional leaders, join organizations like BHA, give money to worthy environmental causes, and most important of all, vote Public Lands in every election.
Cheers,
Mark
Ye Shall Be Free To Roam...
Zinke is gone now, his damage is done and he can get on with his true calling of working to line his pockets and the pockets of the CEO’s of extraction industry companies.
Good riddance Ryan, don’t let the barn door hit your glue pot painted pony in the arse on the way out.
Here is a short list reminder of what we got with Zinke.
- Rollback and shrinking National Monuments
- Opening drilling exploration in ANWR
- Opening drilling and oil development in nearshore water areas
- Reducing protections for the Sage Grouse and other endangered species.
- Helping to eliminate environmental protections on mining waste
- Pushed to allow strip-mining of coal on public lands
- Pushed to reduce protection of wetlands
- Installed extraction industry persons in his administration
- Rollback rules on fracking
- Slash the Park Service budget and drastically raise entry fees to parks
And let’s not forget the investigations:
Halliburton
In June, the Interior Department’s inspector general opened an investigation into whether conversations Mr. Zinke had with David J. Lesar, the chairman of Halliburton, about a Montana land deal constituted a conflict of interest.
The examination of “involvement in and use of taxpayer resources to advance land developments” focuses on whether taxpayer money was improperly spent on Mr. Zinke’s travel when he met with Halliburton representatives.
Casino Lobbying
Another inspector general inquiry involves Mr. Zinke’s decision last year to block a proposal from two Connecticut Native American tribes to expand a casino operation. That decision was made against the advice from experts at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and after meetings and phone calls with lobbyists from the casino giant MGM Resorts, which has opposed the tribes’ casino.
Hatch Act Violations
Mr. Zinke over the past year has faced a handful of accusations that he violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their offices to influence elections. The most serious involves Mr. Zinke’s announcement at a January news conference with Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, that the state would be “off the table” and exempt from the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore drilling.
Travel Policies
In early October, the Interior Department inspector general found that Mr. Zinke violated agency policy when his wife traveled with him in government vehicles.
Agency Investigations
Other investigations of management practices at the Interior Department under Mr. Zinke, but not specific to his personal conduct, include an investigation into a National Park Service report that deleted all mention of human-caused climate change; an Interior Department payment of $139,000 to fix doors in Mr. Zinke’s office; and an Office of Special Counsel inquiry into whether Joel Clement, a former Interior Department official, was reassigned in retaliation for criticism of Mr. Zinke.
Stalled and Closed Investigations
Investigation into whether he improperly excluded a Utah state lawmaker’s land from the new boundaries of a national monument.
The most notable was about whether he threatened Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, over her vote last year against a health care overhaul.
An examination into Mr. Zinke’s decision to block a $1 million coal mining study.
Gave a speech to a Las Vegas professional hockey team called the Golden Knights. The team was owned by someone who donated to Mr. Zinke’s campaign when he was a Montana congressman.
Investigation into several of his trips between March and October 2017 that mixed official business with political events, including one to the Virgin Islands to attend a political fund-raiser.
When the DJT administration puts the next extraction industry lackey in place of Zinke, sportsmen and women must continue to fightback. Call your Congressional leaders, join organizations like BHA, give money to worthy environmental causes, and most important of all, vote Public Lands in every election.
Cheers,
Mark
Ye Shall Be Free To Roam...
