Land Sell Off Advocate William Perry Pendley Removed from Position at BLM

Pendley, who enjoys e-biking in oxford shirts, will be removed from his position as Acting Director of the BLM. Photo credit: BLM

As you may have heard, a Montana judge recently ruled that William Perry Pendley was serving unlawfully as the Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management and must be removed from his position.

Outdoor Alliance has spoken out against Pendley’s role at the BLM, including submitting testimony for the planned Senate confirmation hearing earlier in August. His nomination was ultimately withdrawn, likely because of the discomfort of some vulnerable Republican Senators with having to take such a polarizing vote. Pendley has a history of remarks disparaging Indigenous communities and others, is a former oil and gas lobbyist, and has advocated for selling off America’s public lands, which he was entrusted to steward. He is manifestly unfit for a leadership role at a land management agency.

Pendley had been serving as the Acting Director of the BLM for more than a year, a position that had been renewed by Interior Secretary Bernhardt four times. Federal law limits agencies to 210 days for temporary leadership before they must be officially nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. In August, the Department of the Interior began preparing materials for a confirmation hearing for Pendley, but his nomination was swiftly revoked in the wake of outcry from the outdoor community and many others.

The case was filed by Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana, who was acting to protect two swaths of land in Montana where Pendley had signed resource management plans that would open up vast areas for oil and gas drilling. The judge ruled that Pendley must be removed from his position, and the decision casts doubt on the legitimacy of many of the plans and policies that Pendley signed in his role as acting director. In his decision, the judge wrote, “The President cannot shelter unconstitutional ‘temporary’ appointments for the duration of his presidency through a matryoshka doll of delegated authorities.”

The Department of Interior does not appear to be planning to place anyone in charge of the BLM, and oddly, it seems that Pendley will continue serving as Deputy Director for Programs and Policy at the BLM. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt will be taking over Pendley’s duties as acting director of the BLM.