On Tuesday the US Senate confirmed former Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke to lead the Department of the Interior, and on Wednesday it confirmed former Texas Governor Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy. Both men will have considerable influence in how the US approaches energy issues over the next four years, from how advanced energy projects are funded to how public lands are used for oil and gas extraction.

Perry, who once claimed that he wanted to eliminate the Department of Energy, recanted during his confirmation hearing in January , stating: "My past statements made over five years ago about abolishing the Department of Energy do not reflect my current thinking. In fact, after being briefed on so many of the vital functions of the Department of Energy, I regret recommending its elimination." Perry also reversed his previous statements of doubt about the science behind climate change in his January hearing, although he stopped short of affirming a belief that human activity is a dominant driver of climate change

Senators voted 62 to 37 to appoint Perry to the position.

Zinke, a Republican congressman who majored in geology at the University of Oregon and served 23 years as a Navy SEAL before entering politics, has been a champion of Montana’s coal and logging industries. As head of the Department of the Interior, he’ll oversee agencies like the National Park Service, the United States Geological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Zinke was confirmed yesterday after a 68 to 31 vote in the Senate. Today, Zinke started his first day on the job by riding into the Interior Department’s Washington headquarters with a nine-person mounted police escort, according to The Washington Post. One of Zinke’s first acts was to overturn guidance that required the US Fish and Wildlife Service to phase out the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on national wildlife refuges by 2022. Opponents of that Obama-era guidance argued that using copper and steel ammunition and tackle was more expensive. Zinke’s second act in office aimed “to expand access to public lands for outdoor recreation and fishing.”