Montana Woman Reportedly Nominated to Lead BLM 

by Andy Schwab

Tracy Stone-Manning has been reported as President Biden’s pick for the next Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Stone-Manning is a Senior Advisor at the National Wildlife Federation based in Missoula, and former Chief of Staff to Governor Steve Bullock. She also previously served as a senior aide to U.S. Senator Jon Tester.

Tester praised the report of the nomination with the following statement:

“This would be a big deal for Montana and for all Americans who value our public lands and the thousands of good-paying jobs that depend on their responsible stewardship. Tracy Stone-Manning is imminently qualified to take the helm at the Bureau of Land Management at such a critical time for the agency. She understands the complex issues facing the Department, and I know if nominated she’d bring Montana commonsense to land management decisions that will keep our economy thriving.”

Stone-Manning would follow former director William Perry Pendley to lead the department, who was highly criticized by Tester and environmental groups for advocating to sell some public lands.

The BLM was established in 1946, but its roots go back to the years after America’s independence, when the young nation began acquiring additional lands.  At first, these lands were used to encourage homesteading and westward migration.  The General Land Office was created in 1812 to support this national goal.

Over time, values and attitudes regarding public lands shifted, and President Harry S. Truman, by means of a government reorganization, merged the GLO and another agency, the U.S. Grazing Service, creating the BLM.  Today, BLM administers over 245 million surface acres and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate, more than any other government agency in the United States.

Stone-Manning will need a Senate confirmation before serving as the Director of the BLM.

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Senator Tester/ BLM/ Northern Ag Network – 2021

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