This week, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) led 23 bicameral members of the Caucus in demanding that political appointees at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) who have announced their future employment with environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) recuse themselves from pending official business. This is in response to the announcement that Director Tracy Stone-Manning will become president of the Wilderness Society following her tenure at the agency.
“The role of BLM is to fairly administer the multiple-use mandate for America’s public lands, a mission at odds with the agenda of extreme environmental groups who want to lock up our lands,” said Chairman Newhouse. “For this reason, I have joined my colleagues in demanding any political appointees at the agency recuse themselves from pending official business if they have accepted future positions at ENGOs as this presents a conflict of interest. The American West is under attack from the Biden Administration and their extreme allies who oppose resource development, grazing, timber harvesting and recreation on public lands. It’s time for this assault on the Western Way of Life to end and restore BLM to its purpose of upholding the multiple-use mandate.”
“While it is not surprising that BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning has accepted a position with a radical organization that threatens to dismantle the livelihood of the west, her latest career move is a clear conflict of interest and drastically limits her ability to fulfill her duties in her current role,” said Chair Lummis. “Even in its final days, this administration and its agencies still has a responsibility to fulfill its obligations to the American people and should therefore require any outgoing political appointees and staff to refrain from any decision-making processes that could have lasting and devastating consequences on the west.”
Members signing the letter are Western Caucus Executive Vice Chair Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Vice Chairs Celeste Maloy (UT-02), Pete Stauber (MN-08), and Ryan Zinke (MT-01), and Representatives Cliff Bentz (OR-02), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), and Matt Rosendale (MT-02). Additionally, the letter was signed by Senators John Barrasso (WY), John Boozman (AR), Kevin Cramer (ND), Mike Crapo (ID), Steve Daines (MT), Mike Lee (UT), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Pete Ricketts (NE), Jim Risch (ID), and Dan Sullivan (AK).
Read text of the letter sent to BLM Departmental Ethics Office Director Heather Gottry here.
