Washington, D.C. – Following President Donald Trump’s formal nomination of anti-public lands activist William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today joined his Western colleagues in calling for an expedited Senate confirmation hearing for Pendley, who was installed as the de facto acting director of the agency nearly a year ago without a confirmation hearing or vote. 

In the letter to Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Bennet and his colleagues wrote that Pendley’s long career of hostility toward the public lands he now oversees is disqualifying, and urged the Committee to expedite the confirmation hearing so Pendley can answer for his troubling record of anti-public lands advocacy before the American public.

“As U.S. Senators representing the West, we understand that the management of our public lands is inextricably tied to our proud outdoor heritage and economy,” wrote Bennet and his colleagues. “The Bureau of Land Management plays an integral role in all of our communities and we do not believe Mr. Pendley is fit to oversee the agency… The American public deserves the opportunity to review how Mr. Pendley’s history conflicts with the important role of overseeing the Bureau of Land Management.”

Pendley was installed as the de facto acting director at BLM last summer by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a move that allowed him to serve in the position without Senate approval and avoid answering for his career built on pushing the federal government to sell off its public lands. Last September, Bennet strongly opposed the decision for Bernhardt to extend Pendley’s term as acting director, saying Pendley’s views do not reflect Colorado’s values and commitment to conservation. That month, he also led 11 Senate Democrats in a letter calling on the Secretary to terminate Pendley’s authority at the BLM. After he was formally nominated to lead BLM, Bennet said he will not support Pendley’s nomination. 

“Public land management is built on collaboration and community input,” continued Bennet and his colleagues. “Mr. Pendley has supported extremists, defended leases issued on sacred tribal land without tribal consultation, and worked to undermine wildlife habitat protections based on years of careful negotiations. He has proven unwilling to work with local communities on collaborative solutions and is not a credible honest broker on land management or tribal sovereignty issues that come before the agency.

“Mr. Pendley has run the Bureau of Land Management for nearly a year, without Senate confirmation or even a nomination. Now that President Trump has submitted his nomination, it is critical for Mr. Pendley to finally step into the sunlight and give the U.S. Senate and the public an opportunity to review his troubling record.”

Pendley has various flagrant conflicts of interest with issues before BLM stemming from his time running the anti-public lands group Mountain States Legal Foundation. Pendley has also encouraged armed standoffs between federal law enforcement officials and ranchers, and wrote an article titled “The Federal Government Should Follow the Constitution and Sell Its Western Lands.”

In addition to Bennet, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).

The text of the letter is available HERE and below. 

Dear Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Manchin: 

We are writing to respectfully ask that you expedite a hearing and subsequent business meeting on the nomination of William Pendley to serve as Director of the Bureau of Land Management. After nearly a year as Acting Director, Mr. Pendley’s formal nomination is long overdue, and the public deserves the opportunity to hold him accountable for his record of undermining our public lands, clean water, and jobs that rely on both. We respectfully ask that you work with Mr. Pendley to hold a hearing as soon as you receive his paperwork so his record can be vetted before the American public. 

As U.S. Senators representing the West, we understand that the management of our public lands is inextricably tied to our proud outdoor heritage and economy. The Bureau of Land Management plays an integral role in all of our communities and we do not believe Mr. Pendley is fit to oversee the agency. His advocacy for selling off our public lands flies in the face of the agency's role in managing more than 245 million acres of public lands for the American public's benefit. He spent much of his career working against the interests of local communities who fought to protect public lands from development. The American public deserves the opportunity to review how Mr. Pendley’s history conflicts with the important role of overseeing the Bureau of Land Management.  

Public land management is built on collaboration and community input. Mr. Pendley has supported extremists, defended leases issued on sacred tribal land without tribal consultation, and worked to undermine wildlife habitat protections based on years of careful negotiations. He has proven unwilling to work with local communities on collaborative solutions and is not a credible honest broker on land management or tribal sovereignty issues that come before the agency.  

Mr. Pendley has run the Bureau of Land Management for nearly a year, without Senate confirmation or even a nomination. Now that President Trump has submitted his nomination, it is critical for Mr. Pendley to finally step into the sunlight and give the U.S. Senate and the public an opportunity to explain his record. We appreciate your leadership and respectfully ask that you ensure the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources processes this nomination expeditiously.  

Sincerely,