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Trump to withdraw Pendley's nomination as public lands chief

Sen. Bennet, fellow Dems sent letter opposing Pendley last week
william pendley william perry pendley
Posted at 6:15 PM, Aug 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-15 20:15:04-04

SEATTLE (AP) — A senior administration official says President Donald Trump intends to withdraw the nomination of William Perry Pendley to head the Bureau of Land Management.

The news was cheered by conservationists who insisted the longtime advocate of selling federal lands should not be overseeing them.

Pendley is a former oil industry and property rights attorney from Wyoming who has been the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management for more than a year under a series of temporary orders from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

Democrats alleged the temporary orders were an attempt to skirt the nomination process, and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and conservation groups have filed lawsuits to have him removed from office.