WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has easily confirmed former Obama administration official Tommy Beaudreau as deputy secretary at the Interior Department. It’s a rare bipartisan moment in an increasingly bitter fight over President Joe Biden’s policies on energy production and climate change. Beaudreau is a lawyer and former Interior Department chief of staff and widely seen as a moderate. He was selected in April after Biden dropped plans for a more liberal nominee who faced key Senate opposition. His nomination was approved Thursday, 88-9. Beaudreau grew up in Alaska and is politically close to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the influential Republican moderate.
