Public land management agencies have taken a far right turn under the Trump administration, with a strong bent toward energy development and away from their shared mission of protecting lands for the recreational enjoyment of all Americans and, increasingly, as refugia from climate change. The recently proposed appointment of William Perry Pendley as acting director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is just the latest attack on federal lands stewardship.
U.S. Senator Tom Udall lamented the disastrous turn the agency’s leadership has taken during a webinar put on in the summer of 2020 by WildEarth Guardians. Referring to the progressive approach to land and species protection under his father, Stewart Udall – who served as Secretary of the Interior under President John F. Kennedy, Udall said, “The Interior Department should be right at the center of climate, endangered ecosystems, taking better care of the land, coming up with a good land ethic and dealing with the diversity issues and the environmental justice issues.” Udall went on to add “The next president is going to want to do something about climate, the Interior Department is going to be at the center of that.”
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