Washington » Sen. Bob Bennett plans to block President Barack Obama's choice for deputy Interior secretary over the administration's retreat on oil and gas leases in Utah.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee expects to vote today on the nomination of David Hayes, a former energy lobbyist. But Bennett's move, under Senate rules, means Hayes will need more than a majority of votes when his nomination hits the floor.
The Utah Republican said he received "inadequate responses" from Hayes to questions about why the administration shelved a lease sale of 103,000 acres of public land in Utah, some near national parks or monuments.
"I am incredibly disappointed in what appears to be political posturing by the Department of the Interior," Bennett said in a statement late Tuesday. "The department has not only failed to address my concerns, but also included information in their response that is simply not true."
Though it takes only a majority of senators to pass legislation or approve nominees, under Senate rules, any senator can object, forcing the body's leaders to need 60 votes for approval.
Bennett specifically balked at Hayes' answer that the Bureau of Land Management had not coordinated with the National Park Service on the lease sale.
"There are just too many inconsistencies in the department's story about these leases," he said, "and this nominee should not move forward until these concerns are addressed."
In mid-November, the Park Service and the BLM clashed over the lease sale. The BLM posted the available parcels on Halloween. The Park Service was stunned to discover that more than 90 parcels on 130,000 acres near Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument -- previously deferred after a joint consultation -- were back on the list.
The Park Service objected. On Nov. 24, Park Service Regional Director Mike Snyder and BLM State Director Selma Sierra issued a statement saying the two agencies would "develop a common approach to resolving concerns about the lease sale."
The BLM then removed from the list 22 parcels that most concerned the Park Service. The agencies said they would revive an expired 1993 formal agreement that the BLM provide the Park Service an early review of any parcels nominated near parks.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also has raised concerns about Hayes, according to the energy publication Greenwire , saying that his previous role as a lobbyist should bar him from the job.
The Interior Department did not return a call late Tuesday.
Tribune reporter Patty Henetz contributed to this story.
