U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) is one step closer to becoming the next U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary, which oversees several areas of federal Indian affairs.

Zinke’s Interior Secretary nomination was reported favorably out of the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee in a vote of 16 – 6 on January 31. Just after the vote, the same committee voted 16 – 7 to approve former Texas Governor Rick Perry to become the next Secretary of Energy. Both nominations now head to the Senate floor for full consideration.

Zinke received affirmative votes from all Republican senators on the committee and from several of the Democratic minority members.

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U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the ranking minority member of the committee, led the Democratic opposition to Zinke. Her office has not responded to ICMN requests for comment on whether any of his positions on Indian issues played a role in her thinking. She did note during his January 17 confirmation hearing that he had tried to pass legislation forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to continue its review of a proposed coal export terminal near the Lummi Nation, over the tribe’s objections. On the issue, Cantwell asked Zinke, “So, you believe in the tribal sovereignty of the Lummi tribe to object in this case?” He responded, “They certainly had every right to object.”

Zinke has knowledge of Indian issues due to his strong interaction with tribes in his home state, according to tribal leaders who know him, and according to former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. He has been adopted by the Assiniboine Sioux as a citizen, and he led efforts in 2016 in Congress for federal recognition of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe in his state. He attended the Native Nations Inaugural Ball at the National Museum of the American Indian on January 20, where he interacted with several tribal leaders and Indian affairs experts; there, he was gifted an Indian blanket and wore a red “Make Indian Country Great Again” baseball cap. He has met with many tribal leaders during his short tenure in the Congress, which began in 2015, as well as during his previous service in the Montana Senate. Before that, he was a Navy SEAL.

During his confirmation hearing, Zinke guaranteed that tribal citizens would have a seat at the table when it comes to decisions, activities and land management near their communities.

“Sovereignty should mean something,” the Interior Secretary nominee said during his confirmation hearing. “When we say, ‘You’re a sovereign nation,’ let’s have the discussion of how to empower that.”

Zinke added that he wants to see improvement at the Bureaus of Indian Affairs and Education and that tribes deserve “respect” and “tools” to aid in their self-determination.

The main concern surrounding Zinke and his input on Indian affairs is his willingness to open public lands up to oil, coal, and gas energy development. When protection of federal Indian land comes in conflict with federal desires to conduct energy development, it is unknown how the Interior Secretary nominee will serve tribes. He has said he is supportive of strong federal-tribal consultation, sovereignty and self-determination, but if Trump presses him to pursue more energy development on tribal lands, it is unknown how he will react. Whether he realizes the impact of the recent Trump memorandum encouraging development of the Dakota Access Pipeline over the concerns of the Standing Rock Tribe is also unclear.

Jana McKeag, a longtime tribal lobbyist who has submitted her resume to the Trump administration to be considered to become the next Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, said she is “very pleased” with Zinke’s track record in Indian country—“particularly for a freshman congressman; he’s just been amazing. I think we’re going to be very lucky in Indian country to have him as our [Interior Secretary].” McKeag is a member of the Cherokee Nation.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told ICMN that she expects Zinke to do well on Indian issues. “I am optimistic about what Mr. Zinke has said about the importance of self-governance and his support of the federal government’s trust responsibility for American Indians and Alaska Natives,” she said. “I was also pleased to hear his commitment to consultation between tribes and the federal government, something I take very seriously. He has also shown strong interest in appearing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs very soon after his confirmation, which I appreciate. One of my top priorities is getting Mr. Zinke up to Alaska to see first-hand some of the unique challenges and opportunities that exist for our Alaska Native population.”

After meeting with Zinke, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and lead Democrat on the appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Department of the Interior budget, said Zinke promised to be a “strong advocate” for American Indians.

“We had a positive conversation about tribal issues, and I asked him to help [then-] President-elect Trump understand and appreciate the need for tribal self-determination and consultation on any issue that affects Native American lands and culture,” Udall said in a January 19 statement.