Donald Trump's pick to lead BLM pulls out after her past comes back to haunt her
Washington D.C.: Kathleen Sgamma, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), withdrew her nomination on Thursday after her past criticism of Trump’s role in the January 6 Capitol attack resurfaced. The withdrawal came just as her Senate confirmation hearing was set to begin.
Sgamma, a longtime oil and gas industry advocate, had been expected to advance Trump’s agenda of expanding energy development on federal lands. However, her 2021 comments — where she said she was “disgusted by the violence witnessed yesterday and President Trump’s role in spreading misinformation that incited it” — proved disqualifying. Former Trump Interior Secretary David Bernhardt called her withdrawal “self-inflicted", suggesting that those who have publicly opposed Trump should not seek administration roles.
Aaron Weiss of the Center for Western Priorities told the Associated Press, “Being sane and acknowledging reality with the White House is enough to sink a nomination.”
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The BLM, which oversees 245 million acres of public land, has been a battleground in the partisan fight over energy policy. Under Biden, the agency restricted oil drilling and coal mining while promoting renewable energy. Now, Trump is reversing those policies, fast-tracking fossil fuel development.
The Trump administration also said on Thursday that it would no longer require environmental impact statements for oil and gas leases across the US west, in a step toward lifting green hurdles to drilling that environmental groups will likely challenge in court.
The Interior Department said in a release that it will no longer require its BLM to prepare environmental impact statements for about 3,244 oil and gas leases across Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
The BLM has lacked a confirmed director for much of the past decade, and Sgamma’s withdrawal leaves another vacancy. Senate Energy Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah) vowed to find a replacement, emphasizing the agency’s importance, particularly in Western states.