HOBBS, N.M. – Federal officials say acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt plans to visit a city at the center of New Mexico’s oil country on Wednesday to promote energy development on public lands.

A department spokeswoman says Bernhardt will visit residents and federal workers in Hobbs, where oil production has led to a recent economic boom in the region.

Officials say Bernhardt will visit residents and Bureau of Land Management employees in Hobbs.

President Donald Trump on Monday said he intended to nominate Bernhardt – a Washington veteran with lobbying ties to U.S. energy companies – to lead the department.

Democrats and environmental groups say he’s vulnerable to conflicts of interest.