Tracy Stone-Manning, left, is pictured in this 2012 file photo as she accepts a nomination to run the Montana Department of Environmental Quality./Matt Gouras/AP
Opinion: The previous administration appointed ‘acting’ leaders because it knew they were unconfirmable. Tracy Stone-Manning is different.
By Mike Quigley and Barb Cestero | Arizona Republic
Arizonans know public lands are a vital economic engine and important to our culture and way of life. So we’re pleased that President Joe Biden nominated Tracy Stone-Manning to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management.
This position requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly should support Stone-Manning’s nomination and vote to confirm her.
The BLM is the federal agency responsible for managing 245 million acres of public land nationally – 12.2 million acres in Arizona. Within the Department of Interior, BLM is responsible for managing and administering a wide variety of public land uses: mining, livestock grazing, energy production, protecting culturally significant and environmentally sensitive lands, managing for sustainable recreation and more.
Just as the scope of the mandate is diverse, so too are the constituencies Bureau of Land Management engages.
The BLM needs leadership that is effective at balancing competing interests and working to bring people together around common ground and good policy.
Stone-Manning can balance competing priorities
