Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has signed an order making Wyoming native and lawyer William Perry Pendley the acting head of the Bureau of Land Management.
The move was met with immediate criticism from some public land advocates, who say it’s the latest move by the Trump Administration to liquidate public lands.
Pendley is an author who has argued for selling off the nation’s public lands. He has written books accusing federal authorities and environmental advocates of “tyranny” and “waging war on the West.”
He has also been supportive of ranchers in standoffs with the federal government. The BLM manages nearly 250 million acres of lands with their minerals and resources across the U.S. West.
