The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. October 6, 2017 Interior Department Official Joel Clemente Resigns in Protest ------------------------------------------------------------- A senior official within the Interior Department, Joel Clemente, has resigned in protest of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Clemente was an Interior Department scientist focusing on the dangers that climate change poses to Alaska Native communities in the Arctic, until he was reassigned from his position and instead tasked with collecting royalty checks from oil and gas companies. Dozens of other scientists inside the Interior Department have also been reassigned. After he resigned, Clemente said, "Secretary Zinke is really acting against all of the issues that are important to the health and safety of Americans and natural resources." .