Washington » Bureau of Land Management nominee Bob Abbey vowed Thursday before a Senate panel that if confirmed he will be a "hands-on" director and work to find common ground among divergent interests.
Abbey, appearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said there are always differences of opinion on how to treat public lands, but it's time the BLM moves to alleviate strained relationships.
"Managing the national system of public lands for multiple uses is not easy by any means," Abbey said. But, "acknowledging that many stakeholders have valid reasons for some of their differences, I know from working in the field that we actually have much in common."
If confirmed by the Senate, Abbey would manage some 256 million surface acres of public lands in the United States, including nearly 23 million acres in Utah. That puts Abbey in charge of about 42 percent of the state's total landmass.
Abbey, a 32-year veteran of federal land agencies who most recently worked as a partner in a Nevada consulting firm, said he wants to manage the lands to protect clean air and water, to develop renewable and non-renewable resources responsibly and do that while trying to help reach the national goal of reducing the impacts of climate change.
He also said he would support recreational opportunities on BLM lands, but in a way that helps sustain the adjacent communities and local economies.
"We can achieve our common goals and better serve the public by working together while we continue our discussions on issues where we might disagree," Abbey said.
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said he hasn't heard of any concern with Abbey's nomination and argued that he "richly" deserves the post.
When working with him previously when he served as Nevada's BLM state director, Ensign said, "I found him to be a man of integrity and really a straight shooter and that's the kind of person we need as the head of the BLM."
The committee will likely vote on Abbey's nomination next week.
