Preston Cole IMAGE: Wisconsin DNR
The Wisconsin State Senate has unanimously approved the appointment of Department of Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole, but Wednesday’s vote didn’t pass without incident.
Senator Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua) who has long pushed for expansion of logging and mining in the state, issued a warning to Cole, and the agency he’ll lead.
“Mr. Cole has some work cut out for him. There are many fine people who work within the Department of Natural Resources, but there are those who take liberties with the law at times,” Tiffany said. “I hope Secretary Cole is up to the task of making sure that they are accountable to him and to the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin.”
The vote to confirm Cole was unanimous, meaning he’ll finally officially take over as head of the DNR. Governor Tony Evers selected Cole to lead the agency in December of 2018.
The Senate also confirmed Emilie Amundson to lead the Department of Children and Families, on a vote of 32-1. Five acting Evers cabinet secretaries are still awaiting confirmation, including Craig Thompson at Transportation and Andrea Palm at the Department of Health Services.