Nevadan vetted as possible BLM nominee

Bob Abbey, a former state director for the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada, is in line to be nominated to head the BLM nationally, Sen. Harry Reid said Thursday. Reid, D-Nev., said he put Abbey's name forward, and he expected the Nevadan to be selected. Other sources confirmed Abbey, who lives in Reno, was being vetted by the Obama administration. A spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said a couple of months could pass before the Obama administration announces a BLM nominee. "At this point no decisions have been made. Secretary Salazar has cast a wide net," Kendra Barkoff said. Abbey was Nevada state director of the BLM from 1997 until he retired from the government in 2005. He had a 25-year career with the federal land agency...Review-Journal