News for Immediate Release
Sept. 30, 2019
Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, [email protected]
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt extends Pendley’s appointment to 2020
WASHINGTON – Reacting to an administration decision to extend the appointment of William Perry Pendley, a noted public lands critic, as acting head of the Bureau of Land Management, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers President and CEO Land Tawney offered the following response:
“As hunting season enters full swing, the administration’s action is a slap in the face to sportsmen and women the nation over,” said Tawney. “The 245 million acres overseen by the Bureau of Land Management comprises one of our most valuable public assets. The decision last summer to appoint Mr. Pendley, a career opponent of our public lands and waters, as BLM head – and to subsequently extend his appointment into 2020 – is offensive at best.
“The administration has courted hunters and anglers with promises to defend our public lands legacy,” Tawney continued, “and in light of today’s actions the administration must work to regain our trust by either removing Mr. Pendley from his leadership post or formally nominating him as BLM director and subjecting him to a Senate confirmation process.”
Pendley is an attorney with a long and established track record of supporting the sale of millions of acres of U.S. public lands and waters. Until late last year serving as president of the conservative law firm Mountain States Legal Foundation, Pendley has authored a string of books criticizing public lands, including War on the West: Government Tyranny on America’s Great Frontier.
Since taking office, President Trump has failed to nominate a BLM director for confirmation by the Senate, leaving the public lands agency to be managed by a series of acting directors and temporary appointees for close to three years.
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The Voice For Our Wild Public Lands, Waters & Wildlife.