The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this morning deadlocked Thursday on Montanan Tracy Stone-Manning’s nomination to lead the US Bureau of Land Management.
The 10-10 tie still sends the nomination to the Senate, as Committee Chairman Democrat Joe Manchin explains.
“It becomes my duty under Senate resolution 27 to transmit a notice of the tie vote to the Secretary of the Senate. After which the Majority leader may make a motion to discharge the nomination,” Manchin says. “If the motion is agreed to, place the nomination on the executive calendar. This concludes our business before the committee. The committee stands adjourned.”
The committee debated the nomination for more than 90 minutes with Republicans assailing Stone-Manning over her links to a tree spiking incident in Idaho in 1989 and Democrats standing united behind Pres. Joe Biden’s BLM pick.
After the vote, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester released a statement of support for his former state director for Montana and says he looks forward to confirming her on the Senate floor.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a committee member, spent his time during the debate questioning Stone-Manning’s honesty and her role in the tree spiking incident and urging his colleagues to vote against her nomination.
It is unclear when Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer may bring the nomination forward.
The BLM is responsible for management of 245 million acres of federal land primarily in the U.S. West.
