Kathleen Sgamma has withdrawn her nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Thursday.
Sgamma, president of Western Energy Alliance, was scheduled to testify this morning at her confirmation hearing.
“I was informed by the White House earlier today that one of the nominees scheduled for consideration at today’s hearing, Kathleen Sgamma…has withdrawn from consideration,” Lee said.
Sgamma provided a statement through the White House confirming the decision.
“It was an honor to be nominated by President Trump as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, but unfortunately at this time I need to withdraw my nomination,” she said in the written statement. “I will continue to support President Trump and fight for his agenda to Unleash American Energy in the private sector.”
Her nomination was part of Trump’s agenda to expand fossil fuels development on federal land nationwide. The BLM manages more than 240 million acres of federal land, mainly in the West, and manages all federally-owned oil, gas, and minerals nationwide.
Sgamma has long been an outspoken advocate for oil and gas drilling on federal land, and WEA under her leadership prolifically litigated the Biden administration’s public lands conservation efforts, including its failure to hold quarterly oil and gas lease sales. (Bloomberg Law)
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While no reason was provided for the decision, it comes just days after private comments critical of President Trump to Western Energy Alliance members surfaced on social media.
🧵1/ Kathleen Sgamma, the @realDonaldTrump pick to lead @BLMNational, privately wrote she was "disgusted" by Trump "spreading misinformation" on Jan. 6 and "dishonoring the vote of the People," per a memo to oil execs obtained by @ItsDocumented. Her Senate hearing is Thursday. pic.twitter.com/LfLneHHaAi
— Nick Surgey (@NickSurgey) April 8, 2025
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