Wyoming-based property rights attorney Karen Budd-Falen recently vowed that if she is confirmed to lead the Bureau of Land Management, she will “advocate for local government involvement,” criticizing an inside-the-Beltway mindset that she said currently pervades land-use planning. Budd-Falen, who confirmed to E&E News last month that she is under consideration to become BLM’s next director, also endorsed the Trump administration’s push to reduce national monuments and questioned whether two Utah monuments were “lawful to designate” The self-proclaimed “cowboy lawyer” made the remarks during a forum Saturday Nov. 18 in Hamilton, Mont., that was organized by Montana state Rep. Theresa Manzella (R). According to transcripts and audiotape of the event provided to E&E News by the Western Values Project, Budd-Falen addressed a variety of topics over several hours and answered audience questions. “If I am confirmed, I am going to advocate for local government involvement like I’ve been talking about here,” Budd-Falen said in response to a question about how she would lead BLM if nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate. A longtime critic of BLM who has challenged the agency over grazing regulations and endangered species protections, Budd-Falen added that she would not tell local governments to “violate the federal law” to achieve their goals. “But I think we need to consider the local needs as we’re doing federal land policy and management decisions. I think that we need to make decisions that are closer to the ground,” Budd-Falen said. Budd-Falen also endorsed legislation authored by House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) that aims to overhaul the Antiquities Act of 1906, the law under which presidents can establish national monuments. Bishop’s proposed bill, which could see a vote on the House floor early next year, would significantly curb existing presidential authority under the law by enacting limits on the size of new monuments, as well as requiring local and state approval for some sites (Greenwire, Nov. 2). Budd-Falen said she agrees that the current law “was significantly abused,” echoing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s criticism that many of the existing monuments, including Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments, are too large...more
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