President Obama will nominate Sally Jewell, the CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), to succeed Ken Salazar as secretary of the Interior, according to administration officials.
Obama will make the announcement on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Jewell becomes the first woman tapped for Obama’s second-term Cabinet. The decision to nominate a woman comes after accusations that the president did not have enough women serving in his top posts.
Salazar announced last month that he would step down as Interior secretary by the end of March.
Salazar overhauled the federal government's offshore drilling regulation in the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill, and has frequently clashed with Republicans over energy policies that administration critics call too restrictive.
Read more on The Hill's Blog Briefing Room.
