{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://donyoung.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398812", "Congressman Young Shares Thoughts on Nomination of Rep. Ryan Zinke as Secretary of Interior", "2016-12-15", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "AK", "Don Young", "Y000033", "donyoung.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Young Shares Thoughts on Nomination of Rep. Ryan Zinke as Secretary of Interior \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington, D.C.,\r\n        December 15, 2016\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Anchorage, AK \u2013 Alaska Congressman Don Young released the following statement on the nomination of Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT) as the Secretary of Interior:\r\n\u201cI\u2019m extremely pleased to see a Westerner nominated to become the Secretary of Interior.\u00a0 This has been a top priority of mine \u2013 getting someone who understands the historic level of obstruction and mismanagement facing Western states. Rep. Zinke has a strong record of service to this nation \u2013 as a U.S Navy Seal, a two-time Bronze Star recipient, and as my colleague in the House and on the Natural Resources Committee \u2013 and I look forward to working with him to restore a level of confidence and certainty within the Department of Interior.\r\n\u201cEarlier I spoke with Mr. Zinke to congratulate him on his nomination. Although we may share differences on certain issues, we spoke extensively on the issues of land management \u2013 the idea that we shouldn\u2019t be locking away lands but truly managing them. And that\u2019s what excites me. He\u2019s big on streamlining development, overturning needless regulations and trying to make the government more responsive to local people \u2013 all of which are important for Alaska. We also spoke on the need to overturn Secretary Jewell\u2019s heartless denial of the King Cove road, the massive overreach of federal land managers in Alaska, the importance of local consultation.\r\n\u201cSadly, the Department of Interior has become a bureaucratic nightmare, dead set on restricting access to all federal lands \u2013 often in violation of ANILCA.\u00a0 I\u2019m confident under a new Administration we can begin making the changes necessary to improve DOI \u2013 including the Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management \u2013 to meet the needs of the Alaskan and American people.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n ###  \r\n\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://donyoung.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398812"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.033643890172243, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}