The Senate approved by voice vote the nomination of David Hayes to be deputy secretary of the Department of Interior after Republican Sens. Robert Bennett of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska released their holds on the nominee.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar pledged to address the concerns that caused the two senators to place the holds. “I have committed to Senator Bennett that David Hayes, once confirmed, will promptly review the 77 disputed Utah oil and gas parcels, one by one, as I have promised, and we will determine which, if any, are appropriate for development. I have also pledged that though we will agree on some issues and disagree on others, my door will always be open to Senator Bennett and Senator Murkowski.”

Bennett said Salazar has assured him that “the review will be more than a ‘check-the-box’ exercise.”

Hayes’ confirmation vote came a week after Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats to bring his nomination to the Senate floor for a vote (see Daily GPI, May 14). “The [Republican] victory on the Senate floor last week elevated this to a high enough level that the secretary began a personal review of the issue and has admitted that the department relied on inaccurate information,” Bennett said.

Bennett placed a hold on Hayes’ nomination in March. He said he was dissatisfied with Hayes’ response to his questions about the disputed Utah oil and natural gas leases (see Daily GPI, March 19). In early February, Salazar withdrew 77 leases to develop oil and natural gas on 130,000 acres of public lands in Utah (see Daily GPI, Feb. 5). He took this action after producers had bid about $6 million on 77 parcels that were auctioned during a Bureau of Land Management sale in December.

Murkowski joined Bennett in his hold on Hayes earlier this month (see Daily GPI, May 4). She protested the Obama administration’s decision to “unilaterally overturn” a Bush-era regulation that allowed federal agencies to forgo “broad interagency consultations” with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration before taking any action that may affect threatened or endangered species.

“I’m now comfortable with the commitment we’ve gotten from Interior Secretary Salazar and am pleased to be able to release my hold on David Hayes,” said Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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