Fact check: Has Ryan Zinke advocated for state control of energy development on federal lands?
January 3, 2017
By Sara Reynolds
President-elect Donald Trump recently nominated U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) for the position of Secretary of the Interior. Reacting to Zinke’s nomination, Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, claimed, “Mr. Zinke has advocated for state control of energy development on federal lands, a move that threatens our national parks.”[1]
Has Zinke advocated for state control of energy development on federal lands?
Yes. Zinke co-sponsored HR 866, the Federal Land Freedom Act of 2015, a bill to “achieve domestic energy independence by empowering States to control the development and production of all forms of energy on all available Federal land.”[2][3] Zinke has also said that states have more expertise in resource development within their borders than the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, and he “trusts” Montana’s energy professionals more than federal bureaucrats to develop emissions-control technologies.[4][5]
Background
Rep. Zinke, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, was nominated by Trump on December 13 to head the Department of the Interior (DOI). Zinke is a Republican representing Montana’s at-large Congressional District. He is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. Zinke previously served in the Montana State Senate from 2009 to 2013.[6]
The Secretary of the Interior is a member of the presidential Cabinet. The department is responsible for managing both natural and cultural resources, and includes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.[7] The BLM administers leases for oil or natural gas production on federal lands.[8]
The federal government controls about 640 million acres of land, roughly 28 percent of the U.S. land base. The majority of this land is managed by the Interior Department, and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service.[9]
Zinke advocates for state control
Zinke is one of 23 co-sponsors of HR 866, the Federal Land Freedom Act of 2015, which was introduced on February 11, 2015. If enacted, the bill would have permitted the transfer of responsibility for leasing, permitting, and other regulation of oil and gas development from the federal government to the state, in states that established comparable regulatory programs. The bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, of which Zinke is a member. The Subcommittee held a hearing on November 15, 2016.[2]
In March 2015, the BLM issued new regulations on hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” on public and tribal lands. The regulations updated “requirements for well-bore integrity, wastewater disposal and public disclosure of chemicals.”[10] In a subcommittee hearing on March 26, 2015, Zinke questioned the BLM’s experience with fracking, saying, “There seems to be a greater amount of expertise in the states,” and “[W]hy are we asking then for more people to do it when the states probably have the better expertise?”[4] In 2016, a federal judge struck down the regulations after concluding that Congress never authorized the agency to regulate fracking. The BLM has filed an appeal, and arguments are scheduled for January 17.[11][12]
Zinke also criticized further regulation of methane gas emissions and flares issued by the BLM on November 15, 2016. In his statement, Zinke said, “Clean air and clean water are absolute top priorities when we talk about responsible energy development, however the final rule issued by the Obama Administration does nothing to further protect our resources. Instead, the BLM has issued a duplicative and unnecessary rule against responsible oil and gas development in Montana and on sovereign Tribal lands...I trust Montana’s energy workers to continue their good work and technological breakthroughs more than I trust unelected bureaucrats.”[13][5]
Conclusion
Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) has been nominated by President-elect Trump to head the Department of the Interior. Responding to his nomination, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, Theresa Pierno, stated, “Mr. Zinke has advocated for state control of energy development on federal lands, a move that threatens our national parks.”[1]
This is an accurate statement. Zinke co-sponsored legislation to permit states to regulate the leasing and permitting for oil and natural gas development on federal lands. He also has criticized the federal government as lacking the technical expertise for energy regulation that exists at the state level and in the energy industry.[2][4][5]
See also
Launched in October 2015 and active through October 2018, Fact Check by Ballotpedia examined claims made by elected officials, political appointees, and political candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. We evaluated claims made by politicians of all backgrounds and affiliations, subjecting them to the same objective and neutral examination process. As of 2026, Ballotpedia staff periodically review these articles to revaluate and reaffirm our conclusions. Please email us with questions, comments, or concerns about these articles. To learn more about fact-checking, click here.
Sources and Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bozeman Daily Chronicle, "Environmental groups react to Zinke as interior secretary," December 13, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Congress.gov, "H.R.866 - Federal Lands Freedom Act of 2015," accessed December 22, 2016
- ↑ GovTrack, "H.R.866 - Federal Lands Freedom Act of 2015," accessed December 22, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Zinke.House.gov, "Rep Zinke presses BLM on fracking inexperience," April 9, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Zinke.House.gov, "Zinke weighs in on new BLM rule against oil and gas development on federal and tribal land," November 15, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Ryan Zinke," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Bureaus & Offices," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Oil and natural gas extraction on federal land," accessed December 22, 2016
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data," December 29, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, "Interior Department Releases Final Rule to Support Safe, Responsible Hydraulic Fracturing Activities on Public and Tribal Lands," March 20, 2015
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Judge Strikes Down Obama Rule on Fracking on Public Lands," June 22, 2016
- ↑ Law360, "The Biggest Energy Rulings of 2016," December 15, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Interior Department Announces Final Rule to Reduce Methane Emissions & Wasted Gas on Public, Tribal Lands," November 15, 2016
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