Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which filed a challenge of Pendley’s tenure in 2020, sent a letter Friday to the Interior Department expressing concern that the various BLM acting heads, including Groffy, don’t satisfy the requirements of the law that outlines who can lead agencies without a Senate-confirmed leader.
“Without Senate confirmation, Interior’s leaders are more likely to be ‘fringe’ figures or otherwise unqualified. Further, official actions they take may be found by courts to be invalid,” the letter said.