Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are praising the announcement from the Trump Administration today that Ryan Nelson, currently general counsel for Melaleuca in Idaho Falls, will be nominated to be the solicitor for the Department of Interior. Risch said, “We’re thankful to have a westerner who understands our issues nominated for this position. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to bring his nomination to the floor for a vote.”

Crapo said, “Ryan Nelson’s background is a strong fit for the U.S. Department of Interior as he has worked on a wide range of policy issues important to both Idaho and to the nation. Combined with his strong legal background, Ryan will bring a point of view to Interior that is critically important given the agency’s jurisdiction over significant portions of the Western United States.”

Nelson is an honors graduate of BYU law school who has worked as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; as deputy general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget; and as special counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He and his wife Barbara have seven children.

The White House announced the nomination late yesterday; it needs Senate confirmation.