Bennett: I'll block deputy Interior nominee

Sen. Bob Bennett plans to block President Barack Obama's choice for deputy Interior secretary over the administration's retreat on oil and gas leases in Utah. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee expects to vote today on the nomination of David Hayes, a former energy lobbyist. But Bennett's move, under Senate rules, means Hayes will need more than a majority of votes when his nomination hits the floor. The Utah Republican said he received "inadequate responses" from Hayes to questions about why the administration shelved a lease sale of 103,000 acres of public land in Utah, some near national parks or monuments. "I am incredibly disappointed in what appears to be political posturing by the Department of the Interior," Bennett said in a statement late Tuesday. "The department has not only failed to address my concerns, but also included information in their response that is simply not true." Though it takes only a majority of senators to pass legislation or approve nominees, under Senate rules, any senator can object, forcing the body's leaders to need 60 votes for approval. Bennett specifically balked at Hayes' answer that the Bureau of Land Management had not coordinated with the National Park Service on the lease sale. "There are just too many inconsistencies in the department's story about these leases," he said, "and this nominee should not move forward until these concerns are addressed."...Salt Lake Tribune