Oct 04, 2021

Senate confirms new Director of the Bureau of Land Management

Posted Oct 04, 2021 4:00 PM

The Senate voted 50-45 to approve the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning as Director of the Bureau of Land Management. The Montana resident takes over a department that manages about 12 percent of the total landmass in the U.S. The Montana Free Press says her nomination was supported by Montana Democrat Jon Tester.

However, ten Republicans on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources signed a letter to President Biden, asking him to withdraw her nomination. The letter centered on Stone-Manning’s role in an investigation into a tree-spiking incident in the Clearwater National Forest in 1989 that eventually resulted in the indictment of four men.

Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso says Biden’s nominee lied to the energy committee about her involvement in the tree-spiking incident, calling her a “dangerous choice” to put in charge of America’s public lands.

Barrasso also pointed out that her nomination was opposed by a long list of policy leaders and organizations, including two former BLM directors, logging groups, and sportsmen’s groups. The final vote on her nomination fell along party lines, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans opposed.