WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate confirmed outdoor retailer REI chief Sally Jewell as interior secretary, overcoming threats by some Republicans to hold up her nomination.
The vote Wednesday was 87-11.
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U.S. President Barack Obama (not shown) announces Sally Jewell, chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment Inc., as his nominee to become secretary of the U.S. Interior Department at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. Obama said Jewell's background as an engineer and experience in the banking, energy and retail industries give her the skills needed to manage a department that oversees 500 million acres of public land. UPI/Andrew Harrer/Pool | License Photo
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, had threatened to hold up Jewell's nomination because of the Interior Department's initial decision to block a gravel road linking residents of a village in Alaska with a nearby airport, Politico reported. Outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last month said the matter would be reconsidered.
Jewell's nomination also was ensnared in a dispute between Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and interior officials over a sage grouse protection plan, Politico said. His office said the issue had been "addressed" and Risch dropped his objection.
Other Republicans voiced criticism about Jewell's tenure as vice chairwoman of the National Parks Conservation Association's board of trustees, which sued the federal government several times while she was a board member, Politico said. She said she had no role in the association's decisions to sue.
- Topics
- Lisa Murkowski
- Ken Salazar
