Washington • President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will nominate David Bernhardt, a veteran lobbyist who has helped orchestrate the administration’s push to expand oil and gas drilling as the Interior Department’s number-two official, to serve as the next secretary.
Trump was reportedly choosing between Bernhardt and Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, who was the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee when Republicans were in the majority.
If confirmed, Bernhardt, a 49-year-old Colorado native known for his unrelenting work habits, would be well positioned to roll back even more of the Obama-era conservation policies he has worked to unravel since joining Interior a year and-a-half ago.