"BLM: Potential Chief Vows To Push Local Input, Reduce Monuments"

"Wyoming-based property rights attorney Karen Budd-Falen recently vowed that if she is confirmed to lead the Bureau of Land Management, she will 'advocate for local government involvement,' criticizing an inside-the-Beltway mindset that she said currently pervades land-use planning.

Budd-Falen, who confirmed to E&E News last month that she is under consideration to become BLM's next director, also endorsed the Trump administration's push to reduce national monuments and questioned whether two Utah monuments were 'lawful to designate'.

The self-proclaimed 'cowboy lawyer' made the remarks during a forum Saturday in Hamilton, Mont., that was organized by Montana state Rep. Theresa Manzella (R).

The event, which focused on land-use planning in Ravalli County, also featured state Sen. Jennifer Fielder (R), who heads the American Lands Council, which promotes the transfer of federal lands to state ownership."

Jennifer Yachnin reports for Greeenwire November 22, 2017.