A former Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck lobbyist is next in line to lead the U.S. Interior Department after Ryan Zinke, the embattled secretary facing ethics investigations, leaves office by the end of the year.

Zinke’s deputy at Interior, David Bernhardt, who was confirmed to the second-in-command post in July 2017, was a Brownstein Hyatt shareholder in Washington from 2009 to 2017. He formerly was chairman of the firm’s natural resources practice.

Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt. Photo by Tami Heilemann, Interior