** Judge ousts Pendley as acting BLM director
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Monday, September 28, 2020
William Perry Pendley, Twitter ([link removed])

On Friday, a federal judge in Montana ousted William Perry Pendley ([link removed]) as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management, finding he had been unlawfully serving in that capacity for well over a year. The ruling has major implications for the Trump administration, and particularly the Interior Department, which has relied extensively on unconfirmed acting directors to implement its agenda.

The ruling could invalidate a range of recent policies ([link removed]) and decisions impacting Western public lands. Judge Brian Morris gave the Interior Department and Montana Governor Steve Bullock, who filed the lawsuit, 10 days to submit examples of actions taken by Pendley that could be set aside. He specifically flagged two land use plans in Montana, recently signed by Pendley, that would open vast areas of public lands for oil and gas development.

“This puts a question mark over every decision he has made,” said Tracy Stone-Manning ([link removed]) of the National Wildlife Federation. “And that’s the price the administration pays for not going through the normal process of nominating a director and having that approved by the Senate.”


** Public Trust: Feature film on the fight for our public lands
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Patagonia has released ([link removed]) a feature-length documentary, Public Trust, shining a spotlight on efforts to increase extractive development on public lands and offering a rallying cry for those fighting to preserve our natural heritage for future generations. The full documentary is available on YouTube ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** Federal judge ousts Pendley as acting BLM director, opening door to overturn policies
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Washington Post ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | Bloomberg Law ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | NPR ([link removed]) | Guardian ([link removed])


** Loopholes could weaken impact of New Mexico's ambitious methane rule
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New Mexico Political Report ([link removed])


** Mountain climber Jimmy Chin rides out the pandemic on his home mountain, Grand Teton
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Mining company formerly represented by Bernhardt to begin drilling in Arizona’s scenic Santa Rita mountains
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Arizona Daily Star ([link removed])


** Montana regulators propose new rules to reduce incoming pollution from Canadian coal mines
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Montana Public Radio ([link removed])


** Yosemite National Park reopens following closure due to wildfire smoke
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Fox News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
If this case becomes a template in other districts, then it would follow that all other land use plans that have been approved during Pendley’s illegal tenure could also get thrown out. The potential implication there is stunning — effectively erasing all of the planning work BLM has finalized over the last year, possibly longer.”
—Aaron Weiss, Center for Western Priorities, Washington Post ([link removed])
Picture this
Just north of Montrose in west-central Colorado lies the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (NCA), a diverse landscape ranging from adobe badlands to rugged piñon and juniper-covered slopes. At the heart of the NCA, the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Area encompasses a spectacular black granite and red sandstone double canyon formed by the Gunnison River.

Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

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