When thinking of opportunities to unleash economic growth, the Department of Interior isn’t often the first agency that comes to mind. In 2015, the Property and Environment Research Center published a study comparing federal and state land management in the West. These vast expanses of federal land are essentially being wasted, even though untold natural resources—and economic opportunity—lie underneath them. And from all of this higher growth, jobs and incomes will also come higher revenues for all levels of government. If confirmed as Secretary of the Interior on Tuesday, Ryan Zinke has an opportunity to unleash the job, wage and economic growth that Americans desperately need.

Source: Forbes January 13, 2017 15:00 UTC