William Perry Pendley鈥檚 nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management may have been pulled, but he鈥檚 still effectively leading the organization. Two lawsuits are still trying to put that to an end.
Montana鈥檚 Democratic governor, and Senate hopeful, Steve Bullock filed to remove Pendley. And he鈥檚 now in Montana to speed up a decision in that case.
The Western Watersheds Project and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER, filed the . Peter Jenkins is a senior counsel at PEER, and says that while the lawsuits are needed, 鈥渢he political case against Mr. Pendley is so strong that that may get resolved before the legal case."
The political pressure he鈥檚 referring to includes the tight Congressional races for Republicans in western states, like Steve Daines in Montana and Cory Gardner in Colorado. Several outdoors and conservation groups have come out against Pendley, possibly putting the Senators in a difficult position.
However, if Pendley isn鈥檛 removed, both lawsuits argue that his tenure at the agency violates the Constitution and the . Under that act, this kind of vacancy can be filled by someone without Senate confirmation for a maximum of 210 days, or unless there is a pending presidential nomination. Pendley has been there for more than a year.
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