“Two environmental groups called on the court to remove the de facto head of the National Parks Service in the wake of a separate court order last week that blocked William Perry Pendley from similarly acting as the head of the Bureau of Land Management.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the Western Watersheds Project filed a motion for a partial summary judgment on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia calling on the court to deem Margaret Everson’s role atop the NPS unconstitutional. The filing comes as part of the groups’ lawsuit that also challenged Pendley’s authority at BLM. The motion however puts aside the claim against Pendley, which the groups say has been “mooted at least for now” by last week’s order in Montana enjoining Pendley from acting as the director of the agency. Just like with Pendley, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt had designated Everson to exercise the authority of NPS director.”
