Senate Bill Would Permanently Remove William Pendley’s Authority to Act as Director of BLM
Pendley, a notorious anti-public lands activist, was stripped of delegated authority with BLM following district court ruling; actions from his tenure face growing scrutiny
MISSOULA, Mont. – Senate legislation introduced today would keep anti-public lands activist William Perry Pendley from resuming his illegal role exercising the authority of director for the Bureau of Land Management, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers announced.
The Public Lands Leadership Act, introduced by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), would prevent the Department of Justice from protecting Pendley as the de facto acting director and appealing a district court order that stripped Pendley’s delegated director authority for the BLM. This ruling, issued in September by Judge Brian Morris of the Federal District Court of Montana, ordered Pendley’s removal as BLM head and confirmed that Pendley had been occupying that role unlawfully. The order also called into question any decisions Pendley oversaw during this time and called for a report on all actions undertaken. Morris subsequently issued a second ruling that invalidated three Montana resource management plans approved during Pendley’s tenure. Read more






