Grand Junction, Colo. • Colorado demonstrators have welcomed the new Bureau of Land Management headquarters in opposition of the acting department director as his appointment was extended.
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed an order Thursday extending the appointment of acting department director William Perry Pendley until April despite criticism, the Daily Sentinel reports.
Bernhardt put Pendley in temporary charge of the agency in July and previously extended that appointment once meaning it was set to expire this week without further action, officials said.
Pendley has drawn criticism for positions he held prior to joining the department including his support of selling public lands, officials said.