Today, the Interior Department announced the appointment of Brian Steed to serve as the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Steed was previously the Chief of Staff to Utah Congressman Chris Stewart, a leading elected official in the movement to transfer control of national public lands to states – something Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke claims he opposes.
Congressman Stewart is one of the founding members of the Federal Land Action Group, which planned to “develop a legislative framework for transferring federal lands to local ownership and control.”
“Secretary Zinke’s actions simply don’t line up with his unconvincing claim that he opposes state seizure of national public lands,” said Chris Saeger, Executive Director of the Western Values Project. “It’s starting to feel like Secretary Zinke will only consider land transfer advocates for one of the government’s most important public lands positions.”
Controversial attorney Karen Budd-Falen is a “leading candidate” to become the permanent BLM director. She has represented land transfer movement leader Cliven Bundy in court and would bring a long history of supporting the county supremacy movement to the post. Learn more about her extreme record here.
During his confirmation testimony Secretary Zinke said,“I am absolutely against transfer and sale of public lands. I can’t be more clear.”