Trump nominee faces Senate hurdles to securing public lands post

President Trump’s surprise pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management is expected to come under tough scrutiny during the Senate confirmation process, posing a test for vulnerable GOP senators. The nominee, William Perry Pendley, has a record of opposing public land ownership while also dismissing the science behind climate change. He also has a 17-page recusal list highlighting the number of people, companies and advocacy groups he must avoid while working at the agency. Trump’s decision to nominate Pendley, who has led the agency in an acting capacity for nearly a year, came as a surprise when the White House made the announcement last week. He’s been a lightning rod for public lands advocates who have long suspected that Trump hadn’t nominated him because he would fail to secure enough GOP support in the Senate. President Trump’s surprise pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management is expected to come under tough scrutiny during the Senate confirmation process, posing a test for vulnerable GOP senators. The nominee, William Perry Pendley, has a record of opposing public land ownership while also dismissing the science behind climate change. He also has a 17-page recusal list highlighting the number of people, companies and advocacy groups he must avoid while working at the agency. Trump’s decision to nominate Pendley, who has led the agency in an acting capacity for nearly a year, came as a surprise when the White House made the announcement last week. He’s been a lightning rod for public lands advocates who have long suspected that Trump hadn’t nominated him because he would fail to secure enough GOP support in the Senate. A first test on that front will come when he testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for his confirmation hearing. The panel has several Republicans who are up for reelection in western states, putting pressure on them to choose between bucking Trump or angering constituents who are public lands advocates...MORE

...in Colorado, where public lands have been a key issue in Sen. Cory Gardner’s reelection campaign, Pendley has received a tepid response.
Speaking with Colorado Public Radio, Gardner (R) said he would have “tough questions” for Pendley but didn’t say whether he supported him or whether his record was disqualifying.
A spokesperson for Gardner told The Hill that the senator “looks forward to fully reviewing Mr. Pendley’s record during the confirmation process.”
...Gardner, as well as Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R), has made public lands a major reelection issue. The vulnerable senators have championed the Great American Outdoors Act, which would provide money for a popular conservation fund and address a maintenance backlog at national parks.
Both have stressed the importance of protecting public lands and access to them while advocating for the bill, which the Senate passed in a 73-25 vote on June 17.
Environmentalists argue it would be inconsistent for the two senators to back the conservation legislation and then vote for Pendley.

The two Senators, Gardner and Daines, have already prostituted themselves in service to the left-wing enviros.  The question here is whether or not this is a permanent affliction. To redeem themselves they should vote to confirm Pendley.

The enviros say it would be "inconsistent" to have supported the Great American Outdoors Act and then to support Pendley's nomination. The act provided for mandatory, permanent funding for federal land acquisition, with such funding exempt from further debate. To be consistent, then, the Senators should make Pendley the permanent, mandatory Director of the BLM with the appointment not subject to any further debate.