Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Tracy Stone-Manning as the next director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in a vote of 50-45. House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"The very least we should expect from our leaders is honesty and transparency. Unfortunately, Tracy Stone-Manning's alarming track record is a far cry from those standards. Her direct ties to ecoterrorism and her questionable financial history are just the tip of the iceberg. No one is entitled to a leadership position, least of all someone personally involved in actions that endangered the lives of loggers and saw mill owners. Opposition to Ms. Stone-Manning's nomination has been bipartisan since the outset, and it's extremely disappointing to see Democrat senators prioritize extremist environmental groups over the voices and well-being of rural Americans."

Background

On April 22, 2021, the Biden administration announced Stone-Manning as the nominee for BLM director. During the confirmation process, Stone-Manning lied about her implication in an ecoterrorism criminal investigation and failed to disclose her finances, prompting widespread criticism from members of Congress, industry groups and local stakeholders.

Westerman led a letter signed by more than 70 House Republicans to President Joe Biden in July, urging him to rescind Stone-Manning's nomination. House Committee on Judiciary Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) also joined Westerman in September to send letters determining whether the White House and the Department of the Interior were aware of Stone-Manning's participation in tree spiking and her receipt of a personal loan from a Democrat donor.