Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has elected to extend William Perry Pendley’s appointment as acting chief of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Pendley was signed into the temporary position on July 29. Perry’s appointment received scrutiny and criticism from environmentalists and conservationists, who point to his past of advocating for selling public lands.
In an Aug. 30 opinion piece for the Denver Post, Pendley addresses these concerns by stating, “The Trump administration is crystal clear in its opposition to any wholesale disposal or transfer of federal lands.
Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt is steadfast in that opposition, and, as a proud member of the Trump administration, I am as well.”
He added, “Recreation on public lands is fundamental to our mission at BLM, and the argument that I somehow seek to deny others such opportunities is completely baseless.”
