President Donald Trump announced Monday in a tweet that he plans to nominate acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt to lead the agency.
“David has done a fantastic job from the day he arrived, and we look forward to having his nomination officially confirmed!” Trump wrote.
Bernhardt was sworn in as deputy secretary of the Interior Department in August 2017, four months after Trump nominated him to the role. He became acting secretary of the department after former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned amid allegations of misconduct.
Bernhardt worked as an energy lobbyist before joining the Interior Department, according to The Hill. At the firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Bernhardt's clients included Eni Petroleum, Sempra Energy and the Westlands Water District, The Hill reported.
As head of the Interior Department, Bernhardt would oversee more than 70,000 employees who care for 20 percent of the nation’s lands, including national parks, monuments and wildlife refuges.
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