Thursday, January 26, 2017

Conservation groups buck against Noel’s bid for BLM director

Kane County’s own Mike Noel has been publicly campaigning for the position of director of the Bureau of Land Management, but a group of conservation advocates and outdoor recreation businesses are urging President Donald Trump’s administration to look elsewhere. The outspoken Republican legislator and backer of the state’s efforts to wrestle away control of the vast federal public lands within Utah’s borders has earned the support of many of Utah’s political leaders, but his years of conflicts with conservation groups and others worried about his ability to protect the natural resources entrusted to the BLM. In a letter sent to Vice President Mike Pence and Interior Department Secretary nominee Ryan Zinke, the Alliance for a Better Utah writes:

 Over the years, Rep. Noel has espoused positions antithetical to leading the BLM. He has been a staunch opponent of the federal government. He believes law enforcement on federal public lands should rest with local sheriffs, and he has been an ardent advocate for Utah’s multi-million dollar lawsuits seeking to have ill-prepared state governments, like Utah’s, take title to federal public lands that belong to all Americans. Rep. Noel has also demonstrated his disregard for the thoughtfully and collaboratively crafted management plans of the Bureau he hopes to direct, instead throwing his support behind illegal protests on BLM land and the extraction companies that hope to expand their activities on public lands...

We are also alarmed by Rep. Noel’s temperament and management style, something we believe should be considered when deciding who should hold this important position...

The BLM director is a Presidential appointment, but I can't imagine Trump appointing anyone who is not fully approved by the Secretary, and I find it hard to believe Zinke would support someone committed to the transfer of federal lands.
 

3 comments:

Floyd said...

Noel has all the best and most needed qualifications for that position and everyone should write in support of the appointment.
Another possible candidate is property rights expert Dr. Angus McIntosh who deserves full consideration.

Anonymous said...

Mike Noel represents the rural counties in the new Bears Ears monument and the Clinton Grand Staircase Monument, and has seen first hand what the federal government can do to the people of these counties. He represents his constituents and that is why they love him and keep voting him in. He doesn't kowtow to the environmental groups that keep suing and strong arming the federal government and the rural people. He would be the perfect director of the BLM. He has been on both sides and knows how to lead.

Frank DuBois said...

Thank you both for your comments. I hope everyone understands my comments were not about his qualifications or skills, but were about the political realities of the situation.

President won't appoint Director of BLM unless that person is supported by the Secretary, and my guess is that Zinke, given his history, will not support anyone who is in favor of the transfer of federal lands to the state.

In this case, I would love to be proven wrong.