There is a new sheriff in town, deal with it.
Democrats in Congress pressed U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Friday to explain the reassignments of dozens of senior agency officials, most recently Yellowstone National Park’s superintendent, who was offered an unwanted transfer and then told he’d be gone in August.
A group of 14 Democrats led by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman of California asked Zinke for a briefing on the reassignments after their requests for a hearing before the House Natural Resources Committee were denied.
The personnel moves have attracted scrutiny from the Interior Office of the Inspector General — the agency’s internal watchdog — over complaints that many were politically motivated.
The ouster of Yellowstone’s Dan Wenk followed disagreements with Zinke and his staff over management of the park’s bison, according to Wenk.
The livestock industry in Montana, Zinke’s home state, wants the park’s bison herds reduced to 3,000 animals out of fear they could spread a disease to cattle.
Park biologists contend the population of more than 4,000 bison is sustainable. But Zinke and his staff have said the number is too high, Wenk said, and raised concerns that Yellowstone’s scenic Lamar Valley is being damaged by overgrazing.
Zinke has said he’s reorganizing his agency for greater efficiency. His office has refused to comment directly on the removal of Wenk and did not respond to questions about the matter on Friday.