In June 2020, President Trump nominated William Perry Pendley to be the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, an agency that oversees 250 million acres of our public lands. Unfortunately, Pendley is an anti-public lands zealot who has advocated for selling off our public lands.

Here are the ways Pendley is unfit to serve in this office:

• He has a deeply held belief that public lands should be privatized. For example, he authored a January 2016 article in the National Review in which argued that “The Founding Fathers intended all lands owned by the federal government to be sold.”
• He has repeatedly denied basic science, including referring to climate science as “junk science” and likening the existence of climate change to unicorns.
• He frequently denigrates and attacks bedrock environmental laws, including referring to the Endangered Species Act as a “joke” and calling for the repeal of the Antiquities Act which has protected some of America’s most important national parks and monuments.
• Has numerous conflicts of interest, including financial ties to extractive industries. 
• Expressed support for anti-government extremists like Cliven Bundy.
• Lengthy history of mocking and scapegoating marginalized communities includes authoring and promoting an op-ed entitled “Black Lives Matter began with a lie.”

Our Colorado Senators must stand up to Trump and announce their opposition to this nomination. Senator Michael Bennet announced his opposition in late June, but Senator Cory  Gardner has yet to oppose him. 

Senator Gardner must immediately announce his opposition to and vote no on the nomination of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management.