Washington, D.C. – The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee today approved by nearly unanimous voice vote the nomination of Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to be Secretary of the Interior with only Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-LA, voting “present.”

The nomination will now be sent to the full Senate for a vote at a time yet to be scheduled. Domenici said he expected the Senate to confirm Kempthorne before the end of the month.

Chairman Domenici’s statement:

“The many challenges facing the Interior Department and its agencies demand that the Senate act swiftly to confirm a successor to Secretary Gale Norton. This department plays a central role in managing many issues critical to the country, including much of our energy production and all of our natural resources. Interior needs a new leader immediately. I believe Dirk Kempthorne is well suited to this position. I will work with the leadership to try to schedule a vote on his nomination as soon as possible.”